Portland startup to test digital therapy for stroke
File Photo / Tim Greenway
MedRhythm founders Owen McCarthy, left, and Brian Harris, were Mainebiz Next List honorees in 2018.
MedRhythms Inc., a Portland-based medical technology startup, has gotten the green light to launch a clinical trial of its walking rehabilitation solution for stroke patients.
The venture capital-backed company, founded in 2016, uses sensors, music and artificial intelligence to measure and improve walking in people who have experienced stroke.
MedRhythms also has an active pipeline of digital therapeutics targeting rehabilitation and prevention in the areas of neurologic injury and disease.
Founders Brian Harris and Owen McCarthy were recognized on Mainebiz's 2018 Next list for their impact on Maine's economy. Harris, a certified music therapist, is the company's CEO, while McCarthy studied biological engineering and serves as president.
On Monday, the company announced the upcoming launch of a clinical trial of its first product at five top rehabilitation hospitals and research centers.
They include the Shirley Ryan Foundation in New Jersey; the Kessler Foundation in New Jersey; Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York; Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston, where the company was launched; and the Boston University Neuromotor Recovery Lab.
The study's results are due to be released in February 2020.
“This clinical trial marks an important milestone toward MedRhythms’ mission to make this high-quality intervention available to those who need and deserve to have it,” Harris said in Monday's announcement.
He added that as the new industry grows, it is important for digital therapeutics to demonstrate efficacy with the support of rigorous clinical trials, and that the planned study is "an integral step in MedRhythms’ evidence generation strategy to do so."
In response to a query from Mainebiz, Harris said he can't yet say much about the trial design, but said the results will be used to support the company's submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration "and hopeful subsequent approval."
Pipeline
MedRhythm's product pipeline also includes therapeutics for indications such as Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, aging and fall prevention, and the company is actively exploring partnerships.
Music therapy in the traditional sense is a small but growing health care niche that involves the use of music to meet specific physical, emotional and cognitive goals.
Through technology, Harris and McCarthy aim to bring music therapy to as many people as possible, Harris told Mainebiz in an interview last year.
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