{"id":12783,"date":"2014-07-14T14:49:48","date_gmt":"2014-07-14T19:49:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/?p=12783"},"modified":"2015-11-12T08:01:37","modified_gmt":"2015-11-12T14:01:37","slug":"grad-student-helps-take-therabracelet-to-the-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/grad-student-helps-take-therabracelet-to-the-market\/","title":{"rendered":"Grad student helps take TheraBracelet to the market"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Founders<\/a>
Founders of the startup TheraBracelet LLC include Matthew Raggard (from left), Kacie Neutz, Leah Enders and Nicholas Phelps. Not pictured is Alex Curry.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A diminished ability to pinch leaves many stroke patients at a loss to accomplish even small tasks, like buttoning a shirt or brushing their teeth.<\/p>\n

As a 51ÁÔÆæ doctoral student, Leah Enders noticed that the finger grip of these patients was worse if they also experienced numbness. In search of treatment that would address both problems, Enders and Na Jin Seo, assistant professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering, used \u201csub-threshold,\u201d or unfelt, vibrations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe found that putting these vibrations at the wrist increased the cortical activation throughout the hand,\u201d says Enders. The prototype wristband they developed does just that \u2013 it enhances touch sensation and general motor skills in the hands.<\/p>\n

\"Na<\/a>
Na Jin Seo (left), assistant professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering, created the TheraBracelet prototype with her graduate student Leah Enders. Enders is now part of a startup that is trying to commercialize the device. (Photo by Troye Fox.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The improvements these vibrations provide are a well-known phenomenon, but how they work and whether they work if placed away from the afflicted part of the body is still not understood.<\/p>\n

Now the two are building on the research, investigating the connection between the vibrations and neural communication as the mechanism for sensory improvement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe TheraBracelet allows anyone with a loss of fine motor skills to go about their daily routines and maintain independence,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Early success<\/strong><\/p>\n

Seo immediately recognized that the prototype device\u2019s results held commercial potential.<\/p>\n

She received one of only a few UW System Applied Research Grants last year to continue prototype development of the TheraBracelet with collaborator John Webster, a professor emeritus at UW-Madison.<\/p>\n

After Seo and Enders took out a provisional patent on the technology through the 51ÁÔÆæ Research Foundation, it quickly attracted the attention of graduate business students from the University of Louisville. They approached Seo about collaborating to develop the bracelet into a product.<\/p>\n

The Louisville collaborators, along with Enders, have formed a startup company, TheraBracelet LLC, and submitted an application to the FDA for regulatory clearance. Approval is expected in early fall, after which it can be sold as a medical device.<\/p>\n

In February, the group of students, now all graduated, took first place in one of the country\u2019s oldest intercollegiate competitions for entrepreneurs: the Georgia Bowl Business Plan Competition at Kennesaw State University near Atlanta.<\/p>\n

\n
The group will target the \u201cstroke belt\u201d \u2013 11 southeastern states with an unusually high incidences of stroke and other forms of cardiovascular disease.<\/em><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n

They followed that with a pitch of the product at the Rice Business Plan Competition, garnering the interest of an investor.<\/p>\n

The \u2018stroke belt\u2019 a target<\/strong><\/p>\n

The market for electro-stimulation devices is estimated at $16 million, says Matthew Raggard, TheraBracelet\u2019s CEO.<\/p>\n

The group will target physical therapists and large rehabilitation clinics in the \u201cstroke belt\u201d \u2013 11 southeastern states recognized by public health authorities for having an unusually high incidence of stroke and other forms of cardiovascular disease, says Raggard.<\/p>\n

While the startup company\u2019s team works to bring the product to the marketplace, research continues into exactly how the sub-threshold vibrations used in the TheraBracelet work.<\/p>\n

Seo and collaborator Brian Schmit at Marquette University are using an electroencephalogram (EEG) to measure the brain activity of patients wearing the device. A similar brain monitoring study is being conducted by Seo and Wendy Huddleston, 51ÁÔÆæ assistant professor of kinesiology, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).<\/p>\n

After the final prototype is completed in early fall, the new company\u2019s members plan to work directly with physical therapists to continue clinical trials.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am most excited about seeing how this technology could be used to improve gripping not just with stroke patients,\u201d says Enders, \u201cbut other populations such as the elderly, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The device allows anyone with a loss of fine motor skills to go about their daily routines and maintain independence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":836,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[174],"tags":[],"section":[142,139],"display_categories":[],"related-coverage":[],"uwmnews-feed":[],"class_list":["post-12783","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","section-computer-science-technology","section-science-technology"],"yoast_head":"\nGrad student helps take TheraBracelet to the market<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The device allows anyone with a loss of fine motor skills to go about their daily routines and maintain independence.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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