I-Corps: Wearable vibro-tactile stimulation technology for the treatment of dystonia and stroke

University Of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis MN

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to advance and commercialize a platform technology that provides vibration therapy to people with neurological movement disorders, especially those with altered muscle tone. This technology will address an unmet medical need for patients with dystonia, stroke or Parkinson's disease, who suffer from involuntary muscle spasms, excessive muscle spasticity or rigidity. At present, there is no mature competing technology on the market. A preliminary market analysis shows commercial potential in the market for medical devices for the treatment of dystonia and stroke. At the successful completion of the program, the project will have explored enhanced understanding of the commercial ecosystem for the innovation, ranging from validating patient need, regulatory hurdles and cost constraints for the patients and the health care industry for each of the technology applications. This I-Corps further develops a platform technology utilizing superficial vibration to the skin above muscles affected by neurological disease. The technology is embedded in wearable devices that provide non-invasive neuromodulation for treating a range of neurological movement disorders. The neurophysiological mechanism behind its effectiveness is tactile vibration that stimulates mechanoreceptors in the skin and muscles modulating the excitability of motor cortical circuits involved in motor control. Proof-of-concept research on patients with laryngeal dystonia documented the effectiveness of vibro-tactile stimulation for improving the voice symptoms of this disorder. It was demonstrated that laryngeal vibro-tactile stimulation reduces abnormal somatosensory-motor cortical activity and improves speech quality in a sample of patients with spasmodic dysphonia. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.