KMI receives $2.8M grant to support delivery of teletherapy service to stroke survivors in rural areas

Jun 7 2010

Kinetic Muscles, Inc. ("KMI," www.kineticmuscles.com), an innovator in robotic neurotherapy technology, today announced it has received a $2.8 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorder and Stroke (NINDS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that will support delivery of KMI's revolutionary teletherapy service to stroke survivors in rural areas.

“This NIH funding acknowledges the enormous unmet medical need for accessible, affordable delivery of care for stroke survivors”

The award is one of only 10 grants provided nationwide by NIH under the unique BRDG-SPAN program, designed to 'bridge' the gap between R&D and commercialization for promising new medical technologies. KMI is collaborating with Cleveland Clinic and Emory University School of Medicine for this first fully commercial demonstration of affordable, state-of-the-art treatment for stroke survivors with reduced limb function.

"This NIH funding acknowledges the enormous unmet medical need for accessible, affordable delivery of care for stroke survivors," said Grant Farrell, president and CEO of KMI. "Studies published in both Physical Therapy and the American Journal of Occupational Therapy confirm our Hand Mentor™ is one of few products suitable for repetitive practice therapy in the home. The uniqueness of our 'Virtual Clinic' system is its low cost, ease of use, and monitoring that is transparent to the user. We are pleased to work with such prestigious institutions to ensure KMI's technology reaches the millions of people who can benefit from it."

Independent medical research has proven that, with intensive therapy, significant functional recovery is possible following stroke or other neurological injury. However, due to the cost of treatment and the hours required in a therapy center, patients seldom receive sufficient treatment to promote meaningful recovery. The cost of ensuing long-term care is a major factor in the $68.9 billion spent annually for stroke care in the U.S.

KMI's therapy robots are in service at approximately 100 leading clinics across the US. Through daily use, the technology has been proven and the interface optimized with the vision of being able to deliver the treatment in patients' own homes. In this setting, the sophisticated proprietary software can automatically adjust the therapy based on patient capability and progress and can provide immediate motivating feedback. Simultaneously, the system communicates the patients' performance to a central data server where specially-trained, remotely located therapists can review the data and provide expert guidance. This new model of stroke rehabilitation cost effectively provides consistent, effective therapy in a continuum from acute care to the home and can represent the difference between a person regaining independence or being confined to a nursing home. In the future, the model can be adapted to incorporate other home-based therapy and monitoring products.