Phagenesis Wins c. £1 million Translation Award by Wellcome Trust to Expand Dysphagia Treatment
Phagenesis Ltd has been awarded c. £1 million from the Wellcome Trust to extend the scope of its dysphagia treatment device, from hospitals into the community. The Phagenesis technology is designed to treat patients who are dysphagic following a stroke.
Dysphagia affects more than one million stroke victims in Europe and North America per year. Dysphagic patients can suffer from malnutrition and can develop pneumonia as a result of inhaling solids, liquids or their own saliva. Currently, there is no generally accepted treatment for the condition and patients typically have to be fed puréed food and thickened liquids or be fed through a tube, which can severely limit their quality of life.
Phagenesis has developed the world’s first clinically-proven device to treat dysphagia in stroke patients in the first few weeks while they are hospitalised. With the help of the Wellcome Trust, Phagenesis is now developing and testing a new version of its device to treat patients suffering from long-term dysphagia.
Daniel Green, CEO of Phagenesis, said: “Our technology can make a significant difference to patients in the hospital who have this difficult-to-treat condition. We believe this benefit can be extended more widely to people outside the hospital setting. We are delighted to have the support of the Wellcome Trust to adapt our technology and reach these patients and improve their quality of life.”
Other news from the department research and development
