NovaResp’s cMAP: ‘This is an evolution’ 

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia – NovaResp is conducting clinical trials for cMAP, its software platform that uses AI and machine learning to predict and prevent episodes of sleep apnea and reduce the overall pressure of PAP therapy, and it expects to make the technology available to one or potentially more device manufacturers soon. 

“We were not necessarily in stealth mode before, but now that we have the results of clinical trials that are outstanding, we’re more outspoken,” said Hamed Hanafi, PhD, founder and CEO of NovaResp. “This is an evolution to make PAP therapy more pre-emptive.” 

NovaResp was recently named “Innovative Business of the Year” by the Halifax Chamber of Commerce and it also raised $3 million in 2024 in a seed extension round to support clinical testing of cMAP. 

The company has completed one trial and, as of March, was halfway through completing a second. It went into the first trial with the goal of proving that cMAP, which allows PAP devices to run at lower, more comfortable air pressure levels, would not reduce the efficacy of therapy. The trial, which involved 50 patients on therapy, found not only that the technology did not reduce efficacy but also that it did improve REM and stable sleep, as well as reduced mask leakage, Hanafi said. 

“We are excited about the positive results and their future impact on patients,” he said. 

NovaResp’s current trial takes the next step and looks to prove that cMAP improves adherence to therapy. Preliminary results show just that, Hanafi said. 

“Short-term adherence – three-month adherence – is much better with cMAP than APAP, and for long-term adherence, the gap between the two is widening,” he said. 

The current version of cMAP is what Hanafi calls “safe AI” – it is trained on a fixed model of hundreds of thousands of breathing models from patients – but as regulations evolve, future versions of the technology could, for example, phenotype patients on therapy who also have cardiovascular issues. 

“In the future, we could create specific versions of cMAP,” he said. “We have developed an IP on clustering patients with similar breathing patterns and co-morbidities and can design a therapy for just that group.” 

Out of the gate, for device manufacturers, cMAP makes their devices more appealing to prescribers and patients; for providers, it reduces their labor costs (patients need less coaching). For both, it has the potential to increase device and mask sales. 

“But most importantly, patients benefit,” Hanafi said. “They’re going to feel the benefits and commit to longer term use of their PAP device.”