CELEBRATING OUR FIRST BIRTHDAY
As 2016 begins in
earnest it’s a particularly exciting time for us here at aparito to be celebrating our first official
birthday!
Since our launch on
the Bethnal Green Ventures tech
for good accelerator scheme twelve months ago things have been progressing
well. A pivotal milestone in our year was obtaining MHRA (Medicine Healthcare
Regulatory Authority) approval to start our studies. In addition we were very
honoured to be awarded the UnLtd
Fast Growth Millennium Award - crucial support that allowed me to protect
dedicated time to the work.
Central to our work is
partnering with patient support groups, and we are extremely proud of our
collaboration with both the Niemann-Pick
Association and the Gaucher Association.
Our collaboration with them has not only secured funding from the
pharmaceutical industry to conduct studies in both disease groups but also in
establishing the partnership with Great Ormond St Hospital, Royal Manchester
Children’s and the Salford Royal Hospital where the studies are due to start
soon. Without this patient group support our ambitions would be meaningless.
Next week marks a
particularly exciting time when I will fly to India to introduce our devices
and apps for remote monitoring of patients with lysosomal storage disorders.
With the wonderful support of Dr Ashok Vellodi and the LSDSS in India we are thrilled to be launching
there. All being well we will also be intiating such an initiative at the
National Institute of Health in America in April of this year. To think that we
are operating globally within such a short period of time is mind blowing.
December 2015 was a
particularly positive time for us. We were not only named in the 2015 Nominet Trust
top 100 digital social innovation but it was also announced that we had been awarded
a place with Wayra Health
Velocity. A digital
start up accelerator scheme investing in digital healthcare innovation to
address the challenges outlined in the NHS Five Year Forward View. This will
inevitably give us a strong platform in 2016 to expand further.
One of the sad news of
2015 was that my co-founder Ed Freed was no longer able to be a central part of
the core team. Due to Ed’s success in his day job he could no longer support
our day-to-day work but continues to be very much a champion of our goals, and
a much needed personal shoulder of support for me. Without Ed, the idea behind aparito would never have emerged, and for
that I will always be especially thankful to him.
Our first birthday is
a certainly a time to reflect on the last year, and to thank all those that
have supported us to get this far. I can’t name you all but needless to say
that we would not have been able to get this far without all the help, support
and handholding which we have received this far.
One of the things that
strikes me the most in reflecting back is that the most valuable help and
inspiration has often come from the most unlikely people and places. This is
particularly so in terms of our legal partner Hogan Lovells. Their pro bono
support as part of their BaSE
scheme has been outstanding, and we could not have imagined the extent in which
their legal guidance has supported us.
Help and inspiration
that has given me the inner-strength and self-belief to truly believe that what
we’re trying to achieve at aparito really
is a worthwhile initiative.
Digital health is an
incredibly fast-moving and crowded space at the moment with many of the big
players making great progress with large scale investment. This often feels
overwhelming and daunting. But with the help, support and encouragement of all
those around us, I’m sure that 2016 will be another great year for aparito grow and prosper as a social
enterprise.
Dr Elin Haf Davies
Founder
@aparitohealth
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