Germany: Activaero teams up with Giessen University

Collaboration agreed

Activaero GmbH, a spin-out from the Helmholtz Zentrum München, and the University of Gießen Lung Center (UGLC) today announced a collaboration to co-develop a next generation inhalation device, AKITA JET. The joint project will be supported by a grant from HessenAgentur GmbH of up to € 170,000.

The new AKITA JET is smaller, more flexible, lighter and more affordable for controlled and personalized inhalation therapy than an earlier version – which should mean that development of this device will make state-of-the-art inhalation therapy available to more patients.

The UGLC has a long-standing record in the research of lung diseases and the development of new therapies. Under the terms of the collaboration, the UGLC will perform clinical studies to establish medical effectiveness. Activaero has already produced ten test prototypes of the new AKITA JET system.

HessenAgentur, which promotes research and development institutions in the German state of Hessen, arranged the grant under the new LOEWE program for the development of economic and scientific excellence.

“Activaero is the established world leader in the development of controlled inhalation technologies,” Dr Gerhard Scheuch, founder and CEO of Activaero, said, “and this grant will enable us to further develop and expand the excellent relations to the researchers at the UGLC in Gießen.”

“We expect that the high efficiency of the AKITA System will result in a meaningful improvement in the medical treatment of patients with chronic lung diseases. As an example, we expect that use of the AKITA system may help to reduce the need for systemic steroid treatment in asthma patients,” added Professor Andreas Günther of the University of Giessen Lung Center.