OMAHA, Nebraska & TEL AVIV, Israel (February 27, 2025)—A highly competitive and prestigious grant will support the development of an AI-powered home monitoring platform that can manage previously unpredictable chronic health conditions, according to a recent press release.

Omaha’s Right At Home, will collaborate with RespirAI Medical of Tel Aviv, Israel, on a monitoring program that is based on a research breakthrough borne from a cross-campus collaboration at the University of Nebraska.

The Irael-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation (BIRD) grant will help expand the Tel-Aviv-based startup’s engagement in Omaha to further develop an AI-powered home monitoring platform for managing chronic pulmonary conditions, starting with COPD.

The project represents the culmination of a decade of development, starting with the pioneering research of former UNO biomechanics researcher Jenna Yentes, PhD, and UNMC pulmonologist Stephen Rennard, MD. That research is now the cornerstone of RespirAI’s innovative technology, which focuses on detecting what was once considered impossible: The early signs of a sudden flare-up of often deadly symptoms related to COPD. Now fully-funded, the collaboration with Right at Home will develop a comprehensive home monitoring system that can track multiple chronic conditions and warn of potential health deterioration.

Through the UNeTech institute’s early support and incubation, and UNeMed’s technology transfer expertise, RespirAI evolved from an academic discovery into a promising healthcare technology company.

“Watching RespirAI’s journey from a research concept to securing international funding is deeply satisfying,” Joe Runge, Associate Director of UNeTech Institute said in the release. “The collaboration exemplifies the forward-thinking support provided in the state of Nebraska: Translating world class research into products that solve problems for Nebraska companies.”