Breakthrough Victoria paves way for global expansion in epilepsy technology
Breakthrough Victoria will invest in Victorian medical technology group Seer Medical to support its plan to become a global leader in epilepsy home monitoring and management.
The contribution will allow Seer to nearly double its workforce and footprint in Victoria, while expanding into the United States and United Kingdom.
Seer’s expansion could generate an additional 225 jobs in Victoria by 2028, with its Melbourne headquarters to remain the springboard for its global growth.
Seer is globally renowned as a leader in the development of neurological monitoring with the potential to boost health outcomes for patients across the world. It has developed and rolled out wearable technology that allows people with epilepsy to undergo video EEG monitoring at home. Previously, patients could only access video EEG epilepsy diagnostic monitoring in hospitals.
The Seer Home product uses portable brain and heart monitoring technology to provide doctors with the comprehensive data they need to make a diagnosis. The technology comprises wearable devices, mobile networks, cloud computing and artificial intelligence to facilitate home-based epilepsy diagnosis and long-term monitoring for epilepsy management. This has not only improved health outcomes for patients, but relieved hospital and clinic bottlenecks.
More than 65 million people worldwide live with epilepsy, which is often difficult to diagnose and complex to treat. Epileptic seizures can be devastating for both patients and their families, with the economic burden estimated at more than $12 billion a year in Australia, according to a 2019-20 Deloitte report.
Founded in 2017, Seer now operates more than 20 clinics around Australia. In Victoria, Seer has already monitored 3,500 patients, saving the Victorian healthcare system an estimated $45 million. With this funding, Seer will continue its research and development activities, and expand delivery of its epilepsy service further into regional Victoria, Australia and internationally.
Breakthrough Victoria investment allows pioneering technology to retain Victorian foothold
“Seer is working towards a future where world-class healthcare is accessible, affordable and delivered in the home," said Seer CEO & Co-Founder, Dr Dean Freestone.
“With this support from Breakthrough Victoria, our team will be able to continue our work to build more intuitive, accurate and accessible tools that integrate into the workflows of neurologists and other medical practitioners. Critically, this technology will allow us to better support the lives and wellbeing of the epilepsy community.”
“When you look at the alternatives for people with epilepsy and undiagnosed seizures, it can be a really long road to the right diagnosis. Seer accelerates this process and then supports patients through better health management.”
Breakthrough Victoria CEO Grant Dooley said the investment in Seer would further drive innovation and increase translation and commercialisation pathways for research and technology in Victoria.
“The technology is an example of world-leading capability that has the potential to change lives for patients not only in Victoria but across the world,” he said.
“Breakthrough Victoria’s investment supports Seer’s international growth strategy while ensuring the company retains its foothold in Victoria.”
“This will create more local jobs, retain intellectual property and technological development within Victoria and build the state’s reputation as a global leader in research and technology.”
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