Dr. Sabiha Hussain is the principal investigator of RWJ Barnabas Health’s research study evaluating the RESP® Biosensor for wearable respiratory monitoring in cystic fibrosis. The Strados team was fortunate to meet for a short interview with Dr. Hussain.
What motivated you to initiate this study, and what key questions are you hoping to answer using the RESP® Biosensor?
Health equity and access to care are issues I’m deeply passionate about, and when I first encountered Strados Labs at the American Thoracic Society meeting, I quickly saw them as a potential partner to help address these challenges. Patients with cystic fibrosis frequently experience pulmonary exacerbations that require prompt intervention, and the ability to remotely monitor their lung sounds represents a significant advancement in care delivery.
This study was designed to answer several critical questions: First, can we use continuous lung sound data to predict exacerbations before they become severe? And second, can this technology help us determine more precisely when patients have recovered, potentially allowing us to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use? Both of these outcomes would represent meaningful improvements in how we manage CF care.
Why did you feel wearable lung sound monitoring with the RESP® Biosensor was the right fit for this population?
The CF population is uniquely well-suited for wearable monitoring technology. These patients are already accustomed to comprehensive, ongoing care and monitoring as part of their daily routine, so integrating a new monitoring tool fits naturally into their existing care regimen. More importantly, their clinical status can change quite rapidly—sometimes within hours or days. The ability to detect these changes early through continuous lung sound monitoring could be extremely valuable. By identifying exacerbations in their earliest stages, we can intervene more quickly and effectively, leading to better outcomes and potentially preventing the kind of severe decline that requires hospitalization.
Can you talk a little bit about the positive feedback from participants and/or staff about their use of the device at home and/or in clinic?
The response from both patients and our clinical team has been overwhelmingly positive. Participants consistently reported that the RESP® Biosensor was easy to use and comfortable to wear. Patients were also genuinely excited about the technology itself; they appreciated being part of innovative research and were particularly interested in the potential for the device to predict exacerbations before they felt symptoms. This kind of early warning system really resonated with them, as it offers the possibility of maintaining better health and avoiding the disruption that comes with acute exacerbations.
What considerations did your team have in evaluating technology partners, and what factors ultimately made Strados a good collaborator for this work?
When evaluating potential technology partners, accessibility was critical—we needed a solution that our patients could actually use in their daily lives without significant burden. Equally important was finding a partner with a genuine commitment to understanding the underlying physiology, not just collecting data. Strados stood out because their team demonstrated both deep clinical knowledge and a collaborative approach to research. They weren’t just offering a device; they were offering a partnership built on scientific rigor and a shared commitment to improving patient outcomes.
Beyond this study, what other opportunities and applications do you see for wearable lung sound monitoring in improving patient care and outcomes?
The potential applications extend far beyond cystic fibrosis. I particularly see this technology benefiting numerous patient populations, including those with non-CF bronchiectasis, COPD, and asthma.
One particularly exciting opportunity is developing a deeper understanding of how objective lung sound patterns correlate with individual patient symptoms. This could change how we personalize treatment plans. Additionally, wearable lung sound monitoring could provide us with novel physiological parameters and metrics that we simply cannot measure today, such as real-time assessment of airway caliber.
There are even applications in interventional pulmonology—for instance, using the technology to assess lung re-expansion following stent placement. The possibilities are quite broad, and I believe we’re only beginning to scratch the surface of what continuous, objective respiratory monitoring can achieve.
Interested in exploring the RESP platform for a research study? Learn more about our research grant