Team Leader: Owen Lyons

The Sleep Science Team aims to enhance management of sleep disordered breathing by increasing access to diagnosis, improving our understanding of the causes of airway narrowing during sleep, and developing new therapies. Early diagnosis of a breathing disorder during sleep (such as sleep apnea) allows for treatment in a timely manner, improving sleep quality, and preventing poor health outcomes associated with untreated sleep apnea. BresoDx is a home sleep apnea testing device that removes barriers to diagnosis; it has received Health Canada Approval and European Commission CE Mark as a medical device. Future generations of the device are in development. The team has developed a new laboratory at Toronto Rehab: SleepdB is a sound-proof laboratory that is now supporting our full spectrum of research, from basic science to prototype development. This basic science research has already made novel observations on the pathogenesis of airway narrowing during sleep. This will lead to new treatments for sleep disordered breathing and help to restore function in patients with comorbidities by reducing fluid shift and its pernicious effects. The team’s clinical research has led to a greater understanding of the pathogenesis of sleep apnea in various at-risk patient populations such as heart disease, renal disease and stroke. This is facilitating the development of innovative clinical pathways and novel therapies for sleep apnea in these at-risk patients with a view to reducing morbidity and improving quality of life.