Johns Hopkins University
2015 BMEidea Second Prize Winner, TREAT Prize Winner
stage 1 E-Team grant winner, $5,000
The team members:
Dr. Soumyadipta Acharya, Graduate Program Director and Assistant Research Professor
Erin Reisfeld, M.S.E. Bioengineering Innovation & Design, 2015
Ian Graham, M.S.E. Bioengineering Innovation & Design, 2015
Melody Tan, M.S.E. Bioengineering Innovation & Design, 2015
Shruthi Rajan, M.S.E. Bioengineering Innovation & Design, 2015
David Blumenstyk, M.S.E. Bioengineering Innovation & Design, 2015
Summary of problem & solution:
Tremtex is working in conjunction with clinical and research partners at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine to develop an intervention to help Parkinson’s disease patients manage their debilitating motor symptoms. Parkinson’s disease is an incurable, neurodegenerative disorder that affects over 1 million people in the United States and 7 million people worldwide. The standard of care for Parkinson’s disease is medication; however, the effectiveness of medication wanes as the disease progresses. Another option for patients in advanced stages of the disease is deep brain stimulation, an expensive and invasive surgical procedure with strict eligibility criteria. This leaves a significant number of patients without an effective intervention. Tremtex is addressing this gap by providing a low-risk solution for patients whose symptoms are under-managed with existing interventions. The team has designed, STIMband, a non-invasive electrical stimulation device, which delivers low and safe doses of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), to the motor cortices of the brain. The result is the reduction of motor symptoms, including tremors, and improved mobility. STIMband has been designed to ensure patient safety and usability, allowing patients to receive treatment within the comfort of their homes.