Japanese writer and publicist based in Eindhoven, The Netherlands
"Waking up many times during the night," "Having trouble falling asleep," "Shallow sleep and difficulty waking up"; according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan, 30-40% of adults in Japan suffer from a sleep disorder. At the global level, one in five people struggles with a sleep disorder, but only 20% of them have been diagnosed by a doctor and receive treatment. Treating sleep disorders often requires hospitalization for tests, and the time and cost involved pose a significant barrier.
Onera Health, based in the province of Brabant in the Netherlands, was launched to address this issue. Ruben de Francisco, the founder and CEO, discusses the company's business and the solutions it offers.
Currently, if you want to see a doctor for your sleep disorder, you need to be hospitalised for a polysomnography (PSG) test. In this test, patients sleep with various wires attached to their body for one night, and their brainwaves, eye movements, electrocardiogram, electromyogram, respiratory curve, snoring, arterial blood oxygen saturation etc. are measured.
This allows doctors to diagnose the causes of sleep disorders such as sleep apnea (a condition in which breathing stops often when you fall asleep) and periodic limb movement disorder (a disorder in which the legs move periodically during sleep).
Lying in a hospital bed instead of at home, wearing various devices and wires from head to foot, is a very uncomfortable experience for patients. It is also a burden for doctors and nurses, and the use of hospital beds adds to the cost of medical care.
Ruben de Francisco, founder and CEO of Onera Health, at the company's headquarters in Eindhoven, Netherlands (Photo: Onera Health)
De Francisco explained what inspired him to launch Onera Health.
“In my previous job as an engineer, I had many opportunities to work closely with doctors, and I often heard that there was a need to change the way these tests are done. I couldn’t believe they were using 50-year-old technology. I thought that we could use current technology to make PSG testing possible at home."
If left untreated, sleep disorders can lead to more serious illnesses, which will further increase the burden on medical professionals and medical costs. “By making PSG tests more accessible and ensuring that everyone can receive proper treatment, we can significantly reduce these burdens,” said de Francisco.
Onera Health's main customers are hospitals and speciality clinics, and the company provides doctors and nurses with a data service for PSG testing called the PSG-as-a-Service, enabled by its unique device, the Onera STS.
"Once the patient is registered at the hospital, they receive a box containing a test kit. Using the test kit is very simple. At home, following illustrated instructions, the patient attaches patches directly to their chest, forehead, abdomen, and legs and then attaches a sensor to the patches. Because it's wireless, it’s much more comfortable than traditional tests. There’s no waiting list for the test, and there is no need to take time off work to be hospitalized," explained de Francisco.
In addition to its ease of use, the company is also proud of the accurate and comprehensive data it provides. The company has developed a chip called "Biomedical Lab-on-Chip," which can measure and process all the signals required in a sleep lab, including electroencephalograms, electromyograms, electrocardiograms, respiratory flow, oxygen saturation, and body position. The data is automatically sent to the company's cloud-based platform, where it is analyzed and reports are sent to doctors.
Onera Health's STS or ‘Sleep Test System’ provides hospital-level measurements from the comfort of your own home (Photo: Onera Health)
“There are a lot of gadgets out there now, like smart watches and rings, that you wear to measure your sleep patterns, but we are not competing with that low-end segment. They can raise awareness of people’s sleep habits, but they are not at a level that can be used for treatment, as in most cases they are not medical devices that can be used for diagnostic purposes. We are the first in the world to offer such comprehensive biometric data that can be actually used for diagnosis,” says de Francisco.
By eliminating the hassle of traditional PSG testing in hospitals, physicians can focus on diagnosing and treating their patients. According to de Francisco, once the correct diagnosis based on PSG testing is obtained, treatments for sleep disorders are now very plentiful.
"In recent years, various medications have been developed and are being brought to market. There are also treatments like CPAP (Therapy to prevent sleep apnea by wearing a mask and sending pressurized air through the nose), using mandibular devices, or even stimulating the hypoglossal nerve with implants to keep the airway open. But we also need a PSG test to check if that treatment really solved the problem, right? The important thing is to get the right treatment through comprehensive and accurate testing. It's about facilitating access to get to this point," said de Francisco.
The company is a spin-off from the Dutch research institute Holst Center and the Belgian laboratory Imec and has grown rapidly since its establishment in 2017. In 2018, it expanded its business bases to the United States and Germany.
In 2021, the company obtained CE Mark certification, which is given to medical device manufacturers that meet European standards, and gained access to the 27 EU markets. In 2022, the company passed FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) certification and began sales activities in the country. The company is currently in the market expansion phase and has also obtained “Series C” start-up investment funds for this purpose.
(From left) Ruben de Francisco (Founder and CEO), Pieter Ermers (Founder & VP Quality & Regulatory), Heidi Lee (CFO), Iulia Dobai (CTO), at the roof of HQ in Eindhoven (Photo: Onera Health)
Regarding future prospects, de Francisco stated, "We plan to expand our business into even broader markets. In Asia, we are particularly focused on Japan. As Japan faces an aging population and a shortage of healthcare workers, we are eager to introduce our solutions there. We are looking for partner companies to help us bring it to the Japanese market, and also strategic investors and suppliers."
In Japan, where many people suffer from sleeplessness, which is often referred to as a “national disease,” the company's services are expected to significantly improve the quality of life and the healthcare system. If you share the company's vision and are interested in collaborating, please contact them at the details below.
Contact: Onera Health