NeuroMetrix, Inc. (Nasdaq: NURO), a medical device company focused on the diagnosis and treatment of neurological complications of diabetes announced that it will support a clinical study entitled “Evaluation of the Effect of Intensive Diabetes Control Through Non-surgical Intensive Lifestyle Modifications and Weight Reduction on Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy”. The study will be conducted at the Joslin Diabetes Center and will involve 50 obese patients with diabetes. Study duration is one year. Study subjects will participate in the Joslin “Why Wait” program (Weight Achievement and Intensive Treatment), an outpatient weight and lifestyle management program during which several biomarkers, including sural nerve conduction, will be measured at regular intervals. The study will attempt to determine whether weight loss and improved diabetes management can impact the progression of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN).
DPN affects over 50% of people with diabetes and causes significant morbidity including pain, increased risk of falling, and is the primary trigger for diabetic foot ulcers which may require lower extremity amputations. Nerve conduction testing will be performed using NeuroMetrix’s NC-stat(R) DPNCheck(TM), a fast, accurate, and quantitative test for the evaluation of systemic neuropathies such as DPN.
“We are pleased to have the opportunity to support this study at Joslin, which is world renowned for its clinical and basic science work in diabetes,” said Shai N. Gozani, M.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, NeuroMetrix. “There has been speculation concerning the extent to which weight loss and intensive lifestyle management can impact diabetic microvascular complications such as peripheral neuropathy. This study is designed to make an important contribution to the debate, and will also demonstrate the diagnostic and monitoring efficacy of our NC-stat DPNCheck device.”