‘Pocket doctor’ on the horizon for Parkinson’s
pharmafile | September 9, 2014 | News story | Medical Communications, Sales and Marketing | Nonlinearity and Complexity Research Group, Parkinson's, aston, dr little, pocket doctor
Smartphones will soon be able to perform the functions of a ‘pocket doctor’ and map Parkinson’s disease and other degenerative diseases.
This is according to Dr Max Little from the University of Aston’s Nonlinearity and Complexity Research Group in Birmingham (UK), who is using the latest advances in mobile technology to obtain information about how symptoms of Parkinson’s change in people on an hourly basis.
Rare genetic conditions, such as Friedrich’s Ataxia, which causes muscle weakness as well as loss of speech and hearing, are also being analysed.
Little says that the research can now take place as smartphones are able to accurately record movement, activity, location and voice. He says he aims to assess their potential as a medical diagnostic tool.
In one study people with Parkinson’s were asked to wear smartphones from which Little and his team can collect data on how they move, how often they speak to others and how their voices alter over time.
As information is recorded every 20 micro seconds, the amount of data gathered can be vast.
Speaking at this week’s British Science Festival, Little says: “This new kind of remote data analysis will help patients to monitor their conditions on a minute-by-minute basis from the comfort of their own homes.
“Of course, it is still important that they receive regular advice and treatment from medical professionals, who may also benefit from this new technology. Doctors may be able to use data collected by their patients’ smartphones to prescribe medications to help control the progress of neurodegenerative conditions.
“This information may also help examine people thought susceptible to developing Parkinson’s disease. The condition is hard to diagnose, with specialists having to take a detailed history of peoples’ symptoms and analysing them for physical signs of the disease. Using smartphone data may help to make this process much easier.”
The research builds upon Little’s previous studies into Parkinson’s disease, which detected differences in voice patterns between people with and without the condition. In a small lab-based study, accuracy of detection of the disease was nearly 99 per cent.
The team are currently translating this technology and other collected data into a mobile format to provide daily analysis and feedback for individuals.
Ben Adams
Related Content
gaitQ awarded NIHR grant for Parkinson’s wearable tech
The UK’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has awarded a £135,000 grant to gaitQ, …
Newron and Zambon to collaborate on Parkinson’s dyskinesia drug trial
Newron Pharmaceuticals and its partner Zambon have announced an agreement for a potentially pivotal study …
AbbVie funds Mitokinin’s Parkinson’s research with option to buy
AbbVie has landed an option to buy neurodegenerative disease-focused biotech Mitokinin following completion of investigational …
