A new device from Cleveland Medical Devices may help pharmaceutical companies determine how well their Parkinson’s disease drugs are working.
The Cleveland company received FDA clearance today for Kinesia, a motor assessment system that monitors movement disorder symptoms like tremor, bradykinesia or dyskinesia. The wireless device is worn on the patient’s wrist and finger, and uses accelerometers and gyroscopes to monitor three-dimensional motion. Motion and electrical muscle activity data is wirelessly sent to a computer for display and analysis. Kinesia also has a virtual doctor function — the system’s software integrates videos, which guide the patient through tasks known to elicit symptoms, similar to instructions given by a physician when evaluating upper extremity motor symptoms.
Other diseases cause movement disorders, but CleveMed’s biggest target for Kinesia is Parkinson’s patients and doctors. The disease, which affects millions, can cause varying levels of movement disorders throughout the day. The company believes its device will help determine how well and according to what time line a patient is (or isn’t) responding to a Parkinson’s drug.