VivoMetrics receives US patent for cough identification system

May 1 2007

VivoMetrics has announced that the United States Patent Office has granted the company a new patent for its cough identification system algorithm.

This brings the company's total patents for its proprietary physiologic monitoring products to 13. The cough identification algorithm functions by scanning patient data collected by the company's LifeShirt(R), a wearable, ambulatory life-sign monitor, for simultaneous sound events and chest wall movements. Cough is a critical measurement for research in many areas and as incidence and prevalence of respiratory-related disease increases, the ability to effectively measure cough in patients will have a significant impact on drug development, patient monitoring and effective patient diagnosis.

VivoMetrics has identified the unique movement and sound characteristics associated with cough and has successfully validated their algorithm against hand-scored video records, the traditional measurement of cough. By developing the cough algorithm, VivoMetrics is able to accurately measure cough in patients without the need for patient self-reporting or tedious laboratory- based monitoring. The cough algorithm was developed and validated through VivoMetrics' work with Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline, and subsequently has been used by several additional major pharmaceutical companies in their clinical research programs.

Alex Derchak, Principal Scientist for VivoMetrics, said, "the cough algorithm is one of the first examples of a new paradigm for research and health care where laboratory quality data is collected during subjects normal daily lives. The LifeShirt is wearable technology that breaks down the walls of the laboratory to allow researchers to collect patient data in real-world environments."

Paul Kennedy, CEO of VivoMetrics, said, "VivoMetrics mission is to develop and produce better ambulatory monitoring technology. The patent awarded for the cough algorithm is a testament to our team's engineering and innovation in the area of physiologic monitoring. This represents a new horizon for drug development as disease processes and their response to treatment can be evaluated in the real world, where real people are struggling against disease for a better quality of life."