Onera Health Inc., a Palo Alto, CA-based sleep diagnostic solutions and services provider announced it raised $9.3 million in Series A funding led by Jazz Pharmaceuticals, imec.xpand, as well as other investors including imec and BOM. The digital health startup’s vision is to transform sleep diagnostics with the development of the world’s first at-home medical grade sleep diagnostics patch system.
1 Out of 5 People Suffer From A Sleep Disorder
The need for better sleep testing is great. One in five people struggles to get through the day because a sleep disorder affects them at night. Whether it’s insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy or a host of other disorders, sufferers don’t often seek out a proper diagnosis. For many, the idea of going to a sleep clinic is uncomfortable, inconvenient, intimidating and expensive, and even motivated patients often need to wait months for an appointment.
Revolutionize Sleep Diagnostics
Onera is a spin-off of imec, a research center for nanoelectronics and digital technology. Onera’s goal is to resolve these pain-points through the development and use of its sleep diagnostics service model. Headquartered in California’s Silicon Valley, with R&D offices in the Netherlands, Onera focuses on breakthrough sleep testing solutions that are quick, convenient and clinically accurate. Two simple patches will replace cumbersome sensors usually attached to the face, scalp, chest, and limbs.
Doctors will benefit from test results matching the accuracy of conventional in-lab sleep clinics while patients will rest easier being monitored at home or in a medical setting suggested by their doctor. Ultimately, patients and physicians alike will enjoy easier access to accurate sleep diagnostics at a fraction of the cost.
Onera answers to millions struggling to get a good night’s sleep, solving pressing issues for:
– Patients: The very people who need help are stymied by difficult-to-get appointments, cumbersome diagnostics, and monitoring outside their natural sleep setting.
– Hospitals and Sleep Centers: Right now, sleep testing takes up too much space and staff time for setup and monitoring, valuable resources that could be used to treat other ailments; on top of that reimbursement and profits are low.
– Referring Physicians: Many doctors are unfamiliar with sleep disorders and have little time to understand and act on sleep study reports.
– Sleep Center Physicians: As medical directors and staff physicians, they’re overburdened by managing technicians, clinic logistics, frustrating pre-authorization requirements, and declining reimbursements. They need to rechannel their efforts toward patient care instead.
Future Pilot Programs Nationwide
Over the next several months, Onera plans to launch pilot programs across the country to work with leaders in sleep medicine, including pulmonologists, neurologists and psychiatrists, ENTs, pediatricians, and the military. Hartmut Schneider M.D., Ph.D., Onera’s Co-Founder & Chief Medical Officer, and Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins University, explains: “Being a leader in sleep research, I’ve always strived to teach sleep specialists and primary care physicians alike, passing on the knowledge, skills, and insights necessary to diagnose and treat sleep disorders. Onera’s innovations are like finding the missing piece to a puzzle; the medical field finally has the tools they need to offer comprehensive sleep care.”