A few weeks after receiving additional patent coverage, Great Lakes NeuroTechnologies has launched a clinical study to assess the sensitivity of their Kinesia system to detect subtle motor function changes in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). The NIH-funded study is being conducted in partnership with Dr. Alberto Espay of the University of Cincinnati and Dr. Peter LeWitt of HenryFord Health System in Detroit.
Researchers and companies around the world are investigating new treatments intended to slow the progression of PD. Demonstrating the efficacy of these types of proposed neuroprotective therapies can be challenging since very small changes over long periods of time must be measured. The current standard for evaluation of PD motor symptom severity and progression is the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), a subjective scoring system relying on clinician observations to rate symptom severity on 0-4 scale.
Using a system like Kinesia, with high sensitivity motion sensors to measure those changes, can provide several advantages when combined with clinical rating scales. As a unique part of the study design, Parkinson’s patients implanted with deep brain stimulation devices will be recruited for the study. Slowly adjusting the stimulation settings will allow researchers to simulate worsening symptoms and disease progression that would normally take years to study.
Learn more about the clinical study in the company’s press release.
