The Australian company ResApp's system competes with rapid antigen tests and has an accuracy of 92%, for example 
The sound of a few coughs is enough and the new Pfizer-funded app will be able to identify the presence of the Sars CoV-2 virus. It's like an antigen test, with an accuracy of 92%. The pharmaceutical giant invested $116 million, and closed all operations after a long courtship with ResApp, an Australian company that has long been involved in digital healthcare.
Since April, Pfizer has begun to offer increasingly large sums to ResApp. She started from 65 million, raised to 74.2 and closed the deal at 116. An insistent court, but not without reason. In fact, for about ten years ResApp has been using machine learning algorithms to analyze the recordings of cough and respiratory sounds and catalog a wide range of pathologies. Pneumonia, bronchitis, cough or asthma.
The pilot study
At the beginning of 2022, the first results of the pilot study showed that the system is able to accurately detect the 92% of positive Covid cases, just from the sound of the cough. Not only that, it also recorded 80% specificity, so tests are unlikely to produce false positives. The app can only be used in symptomatic cases. The ResApp program received the CE mark for deployment in Europe in August and was approved by Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration.
“We are certain that the agreement with Pfizer will help our research to make this technology ever more precise and reliable, especially for the people who will use it in the near future, already this autumn”, explain the top management of ResApp. "After all, our goal is to always provide the community with new tools to deal with diseases, in this case to contain a return of Covid-19".
Come funziona l’app
ResApp Health was born in 2000 in Brisbone, e da subito ha iniziato a utilizzare una tecnologia di screening caratterizzata dal processo di machine learning. L’app analizzerà, attarverso il microfono degli smartphone, i colpi di tosse. Poi, grazie all’intelligenza artificiale sarà possibile classificarli, riconoscendo il Covid-19. Il risultato è frutto di lunghe addestramenti.
Attravero sessioni di registrazioni l’IA ha imparato a catalogare i differenti colpi di tosse riconducendoli a una specifica patologia. Un processo simile era già stato fatto da ResApp sui pazienti affetti da alzheimer. Anche in questo caso il riconoscimento della malattia è stato possibile grazie biomarcatori biologici, legati alla forza delle corde vocali, alla respirazione, e al degrado muscolare.
Emerging technologies and therapeutics report
ResAppDx è un’app per smartphone utilizzata dal medico per aiutare nella diagnosi delle malattie respiratorie.
L’app ascolta i tuoi colpi di tosse e analizza i suoni della tosse: i risultati del test vengono quindi forniti direttamente al tuo medico, aiutandolo a fare una valutazione accurata su ciò che potrebbe causare malessere.
ResAppDx è approvato TGA per l’elenco ARTG come dispositivo medico di classe IIa. Dovresti usare questa app solo in consultazione con un medico. Dovresti sempre consultare il tuo medico oltre a utilizzare l’app e prima di prendere decisioni mediche.
For more information or if you are unsure, ask your doctor.
Developed by ResApp Health, a digital health company that develops smartphone apps for diagnosing and managing respiratory diseases. (source Google Play)