Onira Research It is a technology-based startup that was founded in Lleida in February 2020 with a clear purpose: to improve the lives of patients with resistant hypertension, which is reflected in sleep apnea. The company has developed an effective, predictive and scalable algorithm that determines if a patient with resistant or refractory hypertension will respond to treatment with CPAP (treatment of choice for obstructive sleep apnea).

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Currently, the clinical treatment of resistant hypertension is based on the administration of a variable number of medications. However, the administration of these medications does not provide effective blood pressure control. For this reason, the algorithm developed since Onira's research, entitled HiPARCO-Score, makes it possible to easily identify which patients can benefit from CPAP treatment, improving patient health and reducing healthcare costs due to the reduction in drugs needed for treatment.

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Normally, patients who suffer from resistant or refractory hypertension suffer from obstructive sleep apnea. Specifically, it is estimated that in 2019, 592 million people will suffer from these pathologies. In addition, hypertension is a clear risk factor that also triggers other diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, which are the number one cause of death in the world.

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‍Onira wants to have an MVP ready in 2021 to begin the testing phase in the market, a phase prior to obtaining the CE mark to check the operation in several pilot centers in Lleida.

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‍As future lines of work, the company has already launched a new research project called HyperSleep to develop a second algorithm, capable of increasing the range of patients with other types of hypertension.

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Onira is made up of a team of researchers specialized in the study of sleep, led by Ángel Orseu, a professional with more than 25 years of experience in the HealthCare industry. In addition, the company's management team is made up of professionals with extensive experience in research, business consulting, medical devices, product development, international expansion in the field of startups, strategy and industrial technologies.

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Startup Capital

Startup Capital is a call for grants in the form of a non-refundable grant granted by ACCIÓ, the Agency for Business Competitiveness of the Government of Catalonia, to recently established startups (no more than 18 months old) that are technologically based and located in Catalonia.

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This is a very difficult and competitive line of aid.

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‍From Intelectium, we have become the leading financial partner for Onira Research. The first aid we have obtained for them was the Startup Capital of 2020. In a few days, we will get to work on the Neotec and Enisa 2021 application.

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We firmly believe in the team and the company, and we hope to be able to support them so that they can continue to grow. We will keep you updated on the company's news!