Manus Neurodynamica, a medical technology firm based in Edinburgh, has secured £750,000 in funding for its digital pen technology which provides an early warning of Parkinson’s disease.
The company says it intends to use the funding to grow its business, grow its product list, expand its team and move towards US clinical trials. The NeuroMotor Pen (NMP) uses a combination of sensors built into the digital pen with software and an analytical engine supported by a Decision Support System. Users can record and analyse limb and hand motion, enabling quantification of fine motor skill. Digital biomarkers are then created to provide objective information about anomalies in movement. The technology can be used to diagnose and monitor Parkinson’s Disease as well as other neuromotor illnesses. Long-term, it also has the potential to be an inexpensive and non-invasive aid to diagnosis. It has passed clinical trials with the NHS in both the north-east of England and is currently in use by NHS Northumbria and medics in the Netherlands.