NEW YORK, May 18, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oculogica, a leader in concussion diagnosis and categorization, with the only FDA-cleared technology that aids in the diagnosis of concussion without a pre-injury baseline test requirement, announced today it has received a U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC) grant for $2 million to develop a wearable version of its technology. These awards are designed to fund efforts to provide significant leaps forward in medical technology. Oculogica, along with its partners, including The U.S. Military at West Point’s Keller Army Hospital and The Geneva Foundation, was awarded this grant for the development of a technology to assess mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in deployed and far-forward settings.
“With concussions impacting more than 10 million people annually, making tests more accessible to patients – even at the site where they are injured – can be critically important. The earlier we can detect a concussion, the greater the likelihood of a good outcome. The Oculogica concussion detection technology is ideal for a fast, non-invasive, wearable field test, in part because it does not require the collection of any bodily fluids,” said Oculogica CEO, Rosina Samandani, Ph.D. “This grant from the U.S. Army recognizes this potential, and the innovation and high clinical standards of our research team and incredible partners.”
The work will commence later this year or early 2022. Dr. Kenneth Cameron of Keller Army Hospital at West Point and a Geneva investigator, commented, “This device has the potential to provide efficient and objective information that could aid in diagnosing concussions and monitoring recovery from injury in far-forward and field settings. The product also has potential applications in both the military and sports medicine settings to objectively identify individuals who sustain a concussion and in making return to duty and sport decisions.”
In addition to Keller Army Hospital, Dr. Christina Master, a physician and researcher at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), and co-director of the Minds Matter Concussion Program at CHOP, will collaborate on the grant. She said, “This is an advancement the field has been waiting for, and it is so needed. We have been studying eye-tracking as part of a multi-modal assessment of concussion for several years in the clinic. The ability to take this to deployed settings, such as the military or sports field, is a critical next step.” The University of Wisconsin–Green Bay’s Dr. Sadie Buboltz-Dubs, another collaborator on the grant, stated, “We are thrilled to be a part of this effort to build a better concussion diagnostic and to help take the EyeBOX technology to the field.”
AdHawk Microsystems’ novel camera-free eye tracking technology will be a critical component of the new, wearable device. Dr. Neil Sarkar, AdHawk Microsystems’ CEO commented, “Our eye tracking system architecture has been reimagined from the ground up to produce high speed, high fidelity data in mobile products that can be worn comfortably all day. We are very excited to be working with Oculogica and this collection of world-class research sites to collaborate on a device that will move brain injury diagnostics significantly forward. We have always envisioned our technology being used for medical diagnosis. This is a significant step to realizing that vision.”
Oculogica has received other grants to develop its technology, including one from the National Institutes of Health and another from the Food and Drug Administration. This new funding represents the largest grant the company has received to date.
About Oculogica
Oculogica Inc. is an eye tracking-based, neuro-diagnostic company founded by Dr. Uzma Samadani, a neurosurgeon at Centracare and the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, and Associate Professor of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at the University of Minnesota School of Engineering. The company has developed the EyeBOX, the first and only FDA cleared baseline-free aid in diagnosis of concussion to help physicians objectively categorize concussion. EyeBOX is a 4-minute test for ages 5 to 67. EyeBOX is used by leading healthcare organizations, including Midwest Orthopedics at Rush University, the clinics of the President of the California Brain Injury Association, and others. To learn more about the company and the EyeBOX, visit www.oculogica.com.
Media Contact: Viridiana Juarez
Email: viridiana@oculogica.com