Healthtech firm specialising in lung disease sees expansion

A Welsh health technology firm started by a patient suffering from lung disease aims to help patients and medics around the world through digital technology.

Bond Digital Health was established by Ian Bond, who came up with the idea during retirement.

Bond, a lifelong smoker, had been diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in his 60s. He became frustrated as he entered the health system and realised something was missing at consultations with his specialist and GP. He found his treatment was often based on subjective recollections rather than real evidence. It led to the creation of a personalised self-management data record so he could better manage his condition, predict potential exacerbations and present medics with accurate information to support diagnosis and treatment.

Bond Digital Health co-founder Dave Taylor built the technology to manage this and it is that technology which has become the cornerstone of the business, based at the Life Sciences Hub Wales in Cardiff.

The pair have been given support and advice from Welsh Government’s business development scheme, the Accelerated Growth Programme (AGP) which provides help and support for firms wanting to expand.

It quickly became clear that the app and digital platform - which Mr Bond and Mr Taylor had initially intended for use for patients like him - could be adapted for use in one of the fastest growing areas of medicine.

Bond’s digital cloud technology is now a component in the growing field of lateral-flow diagnostics in helping not only in the patient-doctor relationship, but also in providing quantitative data for researchers.

Bond said: “I realised that not only could I do something good for myself but I could help a lot of other people and that became my motivation.

“There is no way I could walk away from it, it’s too much fun and it’s really exciting.”

The technology developed by Bond Digital Health can be used in the diagnosis and research of diseases around the world and the company is preparing for a £1 million investment round to finance its expansion.

Bond added: “Lateral-flow technology is an extremely important tool in diagnosing many conditions in both humans and animals, and we are now a world market leader in providing the digital glue that makes it work efficiently.

“Working with AGP has been worth its weight in gold in helping us get there.

“When you are a CEO of a small start-up company, you need someone to tell you that you are wrong, because there’s nobody else to.

“In addition to that honest advice, we could call on the resources of AGP which was extremely helpful in terms of advice on financial management, marketing and social media.

“AGP gave us that comfort that we could pick up the phone and talk to someone when we needed to. I don’t think we could have achieved what we have without AGP.”

David Notley of the Excelerator Consortium, which delivers the Accelerated Growth Programme, said: “The support and advice we’ve provided Bond Digital Health has helped the company establish itself and navigate its way into unchartered international markets.

“It has an exciting future ahead and is a crucial component in Wales’ growing and vibrant life sciences sector.”