Five minutes for a better sleep with Professor Danny Eckert
Meet Professor Danny Eckert from the NeuRA Sleep and Breathing Lab. His team are about to partner with Brisbane-based company, Oventus Medical, on a major new Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) program. He tells us more about this study which could help us all have a better night’s sleep.
What approach will this research take?
This research will target therapy for sleep apnoea using a novel personalised approach as a result of a successful Cooperative Research Centres Programme (CRC-P) grant application. CRC-P’s are funded by the Commonwealth Government Department of Innovation, Science and Technology and are designed to support outcome-focused collaborative research partnerships between industry, researchers and the community.
What is the key aim of this project?
This project aims to develop several technologies to establish an integrated, real-time sleep monitoring and treatment platform for OSA. NeuRA will lead the clinical research program for this collaborative project.
Is there an economic cost to businesses as a result of sleep disorders?
In 2011, sleep disorders cost the Australian economy an estimated $21.2 billion (Deloitte Access Economics: The economic cost of sleep disorders in Australia 2012). Effective treatment for OSA has been limited by poor tolerance of the main therapy and has been limited by accessibility and adoption of new technology for diagnosis and treatment.
Are there a range of factors that disrupt our sleep?
The Sleep and Breathing Lab at NeuRA has demonstrated that a range of factors impact the categorisation of OSA. This new understanding of the underlying causes of OSA has unlocked new targets for therapy. However, diagnosis is still heavily reliant on the date from an overnight sleep study, which can be time-consuming and cumbersome. Treatment of OSA has traditionally been dominated by Positive Airway Pressure (PAP), developed here in Sydney. If used regularly, PAP technologies have a high success rate.
How will the clinical trials be structured?
My research team will conduct the clinical trials for the project to test and enable refinement of the technologies and incorporate the techniques and advances in tailored therapy for OSA, pioneered by the NeuRA sleep and breathing team. Clinical validation and refinement in this context will be critical to translating these concepts and technologies to provide new treatment options and improved outcomes for patients.
Originally published in Issue 21 of the NeuRA Magazine, Winter 2017.