Five researchers from the engineering and medical faculties of National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a novel handheld device, for the treatment of a common ear complaint that could significantly improve current surgical methods.
The researchers said the device, known as CLiKX, is the first of its kind and can shave hours off the previous method, as well as cut up to two-thirds of the cost, based on a ballpark figure of $2,000 to $3,000 for an unsubsidised patient.
The condition, known as Otitis Media with Effusion (OME), also known as “glue ear”, affects up to 709 million people worldwide annually. Nine out of 10 are children and in Singapore, about 84,000 children a year suffer from it, said the researchers.
OME refers to a build-up of liquid in the middle ear and has been shown to cause hearing impairment, tumours, brain infections and delays in speech and language learning, if left untreated. It is usually treated with antibiotics and surgery is used as a last resort.
Weighing only 185 grams, the battery-operated device fits snugly in the human hand.
The project started in 2011 and is now entering the trial phase.
The inspiration for the device came to one of the project’s researcher, Professor Lynne Lim from NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine’s Department of Otolaryngology, when she was on a humanitarian trip to Vietnam eight years ago.
“I was removing a large tumour from a young child and we were successful but because they did not have general anaesthetic, we could not solve his OME problem,” said Prof Lim.
The team is in talks with collaborators in commercialising the device and hopes to launch the product globally by 2020.
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Source: The Straits Times, 25 May 2017