ResApp Health (ASX:RAP) is planning to restart the study of its app to detect respiratory diseases in the U.S. after implementing an array of enhanced procedures and features.
This follows discussions with the principal investigators and further analysis of ResApp’s earlier study, confirming that it was not an accurate nor reliable evaluation of ResApp’s algorithms.
The company’s smartphone app works by using algorithms to analyse the sound of a patient’s cough and provide a diagnosis.
ResApp’s shares were last trading circa 16% higher intra-day, at $0.078.
To improve the data-gathering element of the study, ResApp will now be regularly present onsite conducting clinical study team training, reviewing enrolment procedures and verifying data.
This is to help ensure that high-quality cough sounds are collected as early as possible during the patient’s hospital visit and prior to any treatment known to affect cough analysis.
Furthermore, an improved audio recording smartphone application incorporating built-in checklists, automated background noise estimation and additional visual aids will be deployed.
This is to support the data collection teams and eliminate inappropriate collection of cough data with background noise contamination.
ResApp’s algorithms have also been modified to reduce the impact of the low frequency electronic interference found in nearly 15% of the recordings from the earlier study.
In September, the study principal investigators and ResApp senior management and advisors will meet to finalise the study design, incorporating the key improvements already identified.
All sites have reaffirmed their intention to rerun the updated study and are targeting to restart the study before the beginning of the U.S. winter season.