Great Lakes NeuroTechnologies has been awarded a new patent for its technology that quantifies the severity of movement disorders in Parkinson’s disease patients.
Great Lakes’ Kinesia movement disorder assessment technology uses a ring-like sensor worn on a patient’s finger to measure motor symptoms and wirelessly transmit data to physicians on the severity of a patient’s tremors.
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The newly issued patents cover various aspects of the patient-worn device as well as the technology that processes and transmits movement disorder data, according to a statement from Valley View, Ohio-based Great Lakes.
The idea behind the company’s movement disorder assessment system is that understanding the type and severity of tremors, slowed movements and medication side effects a patient experiences will help doctors better prescribe medications to minimize the patient’s fluctuations throughout the course of a day.
Earlier this year, Great Lakes secured $4.5 million in grant funding through the National Institutes of Health’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.
The company is conducting a study of 60 patients with essential tremor, a type of involuntary shaking of the body, as they conduct their daily lives in their homes.
Great Lakes is also planning a study that would assess its technology in helping surgeons and neurologists fine-tune deep brain stimulation (DBS) systems after they’ve been implanted in Parkinson’s patients.
