TidalSense

TidalSense, established in 2013 and headquartered in Cambridge, UK, is a venture-backed company at the forefront of respiratory diagnostics. Initially founded as Cambridge Respiratory Innovations by Dr. Julian Carter, the firm has since transitioned its focus heavily towards artificial intelligence, now led by CEO Dr. Ameera Patel. Dr. Patel, a trained medical doctor with a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics and Signal Engineering, brings a unique perspective to the company, driven by her personal experience with severe asthma and a background that includes a tenure at Microsoft Research. Her journey into health technology was shaped by firsthand encounters with the difficulties in managing respiratory conditions.

The company's core mission is to transform respiratory medicine through early and accurate diagnosis. TidalSense addresses a significant gap in the market, as conditions like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and asthma affect a substantial portion of the global population and are often diagnosed late, leading to higher healthcare costs and poorer patient outcomes. The business operates by providing its diagnostic solutions to a range of clients, including healthcare providers like the NHS, and pharmaceutical companies to aid in the development of new medicines.

TidalSense's flagship product is the N-Tidal™ Diagnose, a CE-marked medical device. This system combines a handheld device with a patented, fast-response CO2 sensor and an AI-powered cloud platform. Unlike traditional spirometry, which requires forced exhalation and can take up to 30 minutes, the N-Tidal device requires only 75 seconds of relaxed breathing. The captured data, consisting of high-resolution CO2 waveforms, is automatically uploaded via a 4G connection and analyzed by AI algorithms. These algorithms, trained on millions of breaths, can identify over 80 sensitive respiratory biomarkers and provide a diagnostic output for COPD, including severity staging, in under five minutes. This process offers high accuracy, with a reported sensitivity of 90% and specificity of 88%. The company has secured significant funding, including a £7.5 million round led by BGF and Downing, to support the commercialization and rollout of its technology.

Keywords: respiratory diagnostics, COPD diagnosis, asthma monitoring, medical device, AI in healthcare, capnography, CO2 sensor, digital biomarkers, health technology, point-of-care testing, clinical decision support, lung function test, non-invasive diagnostics, chronic respiratory disease, predictive diagnostics, medical AI, digital health, Cambridge UK, venture-backed, EU MDR certified, N-Tidal, Dr. Ameera Patel, Dr. Julian Carter, BGF, Downing