NEW YORK– Koneksa, a healthcare technology company pioneering digital biomarkers, announced today that it has been awarded a research grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) in collaboration with Northwestern University.
The research study will evaluate a measurement concept that is designed to objectively quantify the severity of symptoms related to Parkinson’s disease and, specifically, vocal abnormalities related to early stages of the disease progression. The study will be led by Dr. Tonya Simuni, Head of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Movement Disorders Center.
Speech impairment can have a significant impact on the quality of life of patients with Parkinson’s disease, and research suggests that speech impairment may be an early indicator of disease progression.
In parallel, Koneksa recently announced a partnership with Aural Analytics, Inc., a leader in clinical-grade speech analytics, to further strengthen its platform and research capabilities using Aural Analytics’ technology, which will be used as part of this research collaboration with Northwestern University.
“The lack of clear and reliable biomarkers is one of the greatest hurdles to developing and testing new treatments that slow, stop, or even prevent Parkinson’s disease,” said Chris Benko, CEO, Koneksa. “This is a key unmet need for Parkinson’s patients, and Koneksa’s digital biomarker technology will enable researchers to diagnose the disease and measure its progression. This will lead to more definitive clinical trial outcomes.”
“We are grateful to MJFF and privileged to collaborate with Northwestern University. Digital biomarkers are revolutionizing translational science and have proven efficacy specifically in Parkinson’s disease,” said Dr. John A. Wagner, Chief Medical Officer, Koneksa. “Our hope is that increased use of digital biomarkers will lead to more life-saving therapies for patients with Parkinson’s disease.”
Patient recruitment is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2022, and the research trial is scheduled to be completed in 2024.
