Biomarkers are objective, quantifiable characteristics of biological processes, such as blood pressure or heart rate, that are measurable and do not define how a person feels or functions.
February 28, 2022 (San Francisco, CA) -- Today, EverythingALS.org (EALS), a patient-centric, citizen-based California nonprofit accelerating the discovery of digital biomarkers for neurological diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), announced that Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Holdings America, Inc. (MTHA) has joined its consortium to promote accelerated development of digital biomarkers for neurological diseases.
Biomarkers are objective, quantifiable characteristics of biological processes, such as blood pressure or heart rate, that are measurable and do not define how a person feels or functions. Digital biomarkers are collected and measured by means of digital devices, such as portables, wearables, implantables, digestibles, or even something as simple as a smartphone.
EverythingALS was founded in 2020 with the mission of bringing technological innovations and data science to support efforts -- from care to cure -- for people with ALS. In 2021, the nonprofit teamed up with Modality.ai, which has developed artificial intelligence (AI) technology to remotely spot biomarkers and assess the progression of ALS through speech and facial gestures using a virtual agent, or avatar. In less than a year, EALS enlisted a team of volunteers to recruit more than 700 participants in its speech study and has produced multiple scientific publications.
Consortium partners like MTHA will help support and subsidize research conducted by EverythingALS in the discovery of digital biomarkers for ALS. Additionally, partners will have access to the insights and data generated by the ongoing research, which may help accelerate the company’s own clinical trials at a significantly faster pace than is standard for the industry. Overall, the hope is to continue furthering the development of effective treatments for this debilitating disease.
“We are excited to participate in what we think is a new paradigm for successful drug development by building up digital biomarkers in ALS in collaboration with the ALS community,” said Yasutoshi Kawakami, President of MTHA.
“After my husband passed away from ALS in 2019, I was motivated to help in the pursuit and discovery of new digital biomarkers for ALS,” said Indu Navar, CEO and co-founder of EverythingALS. “Through my ALS and high-tech connections, I was able to recruit a professional team with incredible direct experience with this disease and ties within the ALS community, to help support the world’s largest citizen-based, patient-centric ALS speech study as one of our first missions.”
“EALS is well positioned to transform ALS research through direct patient involvement and remote data collection,” said James Berry, M.D., M.P.H., an EALS Scientific Advisory Board member and Winthrop Scholar in ALS Sciences, Chief of the Division of ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital. “The speed with which EverythingALS has been able to recruit hundreds of participants in what has become the world’s largest AI-empowered speech study of people with ALS has vastly exceeded everyone’s expectations of what can be achieved.”
About EverythingALS
EverythingALS is a patient-focused non-profit, part of the Peter Cohen Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, bringing technological innovations and data science to support efforts -- from care to cure -- for people with ALS, by offering an open-data platform for direct engagement with patients, caregivers, researchers, and drug companies. For more information, please visit www.EverythingALS.org.
About Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Holdings America, Inc.
Based in Jersey City, N.J., Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Holdings America, Inc. (MTHA) is the U.S. holding company for Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation (MTPC). Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America, Inc. (MTPA) and Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Development America (MTDA) are both wholly owned subsidiaries of MTHA. MTPA and MTDA are dedicated to developing and delivering innovative products that address the unmet medical needs of patients in North America. For more information, please visit https://mt-pharma-development-america.com/