AccuNostics, an international company specialising in devices for patient self-monitoring, has secured £4m investment to base its international business in northern Scotland.

The company, with major expertise in the development of blood glucose monitoring systems, has chosen a site in Forres Enterprise Park, Moray.

The funding round for development of the business includes £2.5m of capital and a £1.5m grant from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).

Scotland’s First Minister, Alex Salmond, commented after meeting the AccuNostics team: “Scotland’s reputation as one of Europe’s leading locations for life sciences continues to be further strengthened by companies such as AccuNostics choosing to locate research businesses and jobs here.

“The fact that the sector is continuing to grow in today’s tough economic climate is down to young, dynamic and innovative companies like AccuNostics, which is focusing on developing technology that will dramatically help improve the quality of life for millions of sufferers of diabetes and other conditions.”

AccuNostics was founded by leading figures in the development of blood glucose monitoring devices. CEO Giles Hamilton was previously CEO of Glysure, a developer of blood glucose sensors for intensive care. CTO and COO Olly Davies was one of the creators of the One Touch Ultra self-monitoring device for people with diabetes.

According to Giles Hamilton, the company’s reasons for selecting the Moray site as its base included the region’s infrastructure, skilled workforce and life science expertise. “These are vital assets when attracting world-class talent and building a business.”

Calum MacPherson, Moray Area Manager for HIE, said: “We are excited to be working with this life science business. Basing their operations in Moray will only strengthen the overall impact that this sector is contributing to the Highland economy.”

A monitoring technology used in hospitals has helped the GB Rowing Team to train for the current World Championships in Bled, Slovenia.

As the team’s High Performance Partner, Siemens Healthcare has provided them with a RAPIDPoint 350 Blood Gas analyser (pictured), which helps to monitor the athletes’ adaption to intense training.

By monitoring their blood gases, the team can identify any imbalance that might lead to loss of breath or development of a stitch.

The RAPIDPoint analyser is small, lightweight (less than 8kg) and easy to use in a wide range of environments. It delivers results in just 2 minutes.

David Tanner CBE, the GB Rowing Team’s International Manager, commented: “The use of the Siemens RAPIDPoint 350 is a very good example of the partnership between Siemens and the GB Rowing Team. There is no question that this has helped the GB Rowing Team to improve performance on the water.”

According to Chief Coach Paul Thompson, “Using this analyser allows coaches and support staff better to monitor, direct and individualise the rowers’ programme to maximise the training effect and their race readiness.”

Helen Glover, World Cup winner 2011, offered a user’s view: “The testing involved with the RAPIDPoint 350 is painless and non-invasive. The results have been very helpful to me in understanding how my body reacts to intense periods of training.”

“Our RAPIDLab300 is a small, low-maintenance and easy-to-use system, making it ideal for hospital critical care environment and a huge range of other testing environments, including sport,” said Afia Boamah, Blood Gas and Stratus CS Product Manager at Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics.

Covidien and Welch Allyn have agreed a collaboration to create a vital signs monitoring system that acts as three devices in one—offering spot-check, monitoring and triage.

Covidien’s Nellcor OxiMax platform with SatSeconds technology is to be integrated into the Welch Allyn Connex Vital Signs Monitor (VSM), creating a suite of patient monitoring solutions for use on the general care floor in hospitals, surgery centers and other ambulatory care offices.

The same OxiMax technology is featured in the Nellcor OxiMax N-600x pulse oximeter, and delivers accurate, reliable readings even during low perfusion and signal interference.

The OxiMax platform monitors oxygen saturation (SpO₂) levels — a critical measure of respiratory function – while the SatSeconds feature alerts healthcare providers when patient saturation drops below the established SpO₂ threshold.

“The ability of our SatSeconds feature to help minimise clinically insignificant desaturation alarms is an important benefit in the healthcare setting,” said Robert J. White, Vice President, General Manager, Patient Monitoring, Respiratory and Monitoring Solutions, Covidien.

“We are delighted that this collaboration expands the availability of OxiMax technology to a greater number of caregivers and the patients they serve.”

The Connex VSM (pictured) provides information such as heart rate, blood pressure, temperature and pulse oximetry; manual parameters such as respiration, height, weight and pain level; and modifiers such as body position and O₂ therapy details.

“The integration of the SatSeconds alert feature into our Connex VSM means we can offer the clinical benefits of this technology to our customers, and continue to deliver comprehensive monitoring solutions,” added Scott Gucciardi, Senior Vice President, Welch Allyn.