Neuro Kinetics awarded patents for eye testing and I-PAS? virtual reality for medical diagnostics

PITTSBURGH, PA. September 25, 2017: Neuro Kinetics, Inc. (NKI), the global leader in clinical eye tracking and neural functional assessments, announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently awarded it three more patents, increasing NKI’s patent count to twenty two (22).

These new patents augment the company’s existing patent portfolio for its I-Portal® clinical eye-tracking technology and strengthen NKI’s market-leading number of FDA-cleared medical tests, which are widely used as part of an evaluation of patients with symptoms of dizziness and/or balance disorders that may be associated with, for example, migraines, concussions or BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo) or other medical conditions.

The new patents are:

• U.S. Patent No. 9,655,515, “Method of Precision Eye-Tracking Through Use of Iris Edge-Based Landmarks In Eye Geometry,” issued May 23, 2017:
  The precise video tracking of eye movements is critical to effective neuro-functional measurements. NKI strengthened its technological leadership in eye tracking with this patent by protecting NKI’s unique idea of using fixed points on the outer edge of the iris to track eye movements.

• U.S. Patent No. 9,723,981, “Head Mounted Compact Goggle-Based Video Oculography System with Integral Stimulus Display,” issued August 8, 2017:
  NKI’s I-PAS™ (I-Portal Portable Assessment System) integrates a head-mounted display that uses goggles to deliver oculomotor testing with clinically sensitive eye tracking. Looking similar to a virtual reality headset, and just as easy to put on and take off, NKI’s engineers were the first to design this innovative, and now patented, highly portable platform.

• U.S. Patent No. 9,730,583, “Method and Apparatus for Corrective Secondary Saccades Analysis With Video Oculography System For Objective Diagnostic of Traumatic Brain Injury, Internuclear Opthalmopligia, Ocular Lateral Pulsion and Progressive Supernuclear Palsey and Glissades,” issued August 15, 2017:
  Corrective Saccades, or involuntary second movements of the eyes to center on a target, are a clinically important diagnostic. Once again, NKI’s sensitive eye tracking technology allows for new insights and enables NKI to observe, measure and analyze non-obvious clinical components of these Corrective Saccades, which are proving to be important for a wide range of conditions, including concussions.

“These new patents represent NKI’s continued commitment to innovation and leadership in clinical eye-tracking,” says Howison Schroeder, President and CEO of NKI. Such innovations are at the core of NKI’s objective, neural-functional datasets that place NKI at the forefront of solving the concussion conundrum. Health care practitioners are eager for a device that can objectively measure, monitor and report acute symptoms of concussions. Recent publications in PLOSOne and Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology show OVRT-C (oculomotor, vestibular, reaction time and cognitive) tests using I-Portal technology produce statistically accurate identification of concussion symptoms both acutely and over time. With the goal of contributing to vestibular and neurotologic diagnoses and monitoring of concussion rehabilitation, NKI has submitted a 510(k) to the US FDA for the clearance of the patented I-PAS™, for its use as a nystagmograph. While the use of I-Portal tests for concussion should be considered investigational, the FDA has already cleared other NKI devices that pre-date I-PAS for their use in vestibular testing. Future NKI submissions to the FDA are anticipated for use specific to concussions.

The possibility of a reliable, highly portable, objective metric for monitoring the progression of concussion and other medical conditions in the very near term, bolstered by these patented innovations, is very exciting”, says Dr. Alex Kiderman, CFO of Neuro Kinetics. Dr. Kiderman also commented that this “recognition by the patent office of the innovations by our talented team of engineers and scientists is especially rewarding.”

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To learn more about NKI, please visit http://www.neuro-kinetics.com.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Susan Zelicoff

Neuro Kinetics, Inc.

412-963-6649

[email protected]

ABOUT NKI

The Science to See™

Neuro Kinetics, Inc. (NKI) is the leader in clinical eye tracking and non-invasive neuro-otologic diagnostic testing. Research shows that abnormal eye responses can help to diagnose more than 200 diseases and medical conditions. With 22 issued patents and over 150 installations, NKI’s FDA cleared I-Portal® devices are sold to audiologists, ENT’s, neurotologists, neuro-ophthalmologists and neurologists around the globe. The company’s cleared diagnostic platforms include the I-Portal® NOTC (Neuro-Otologic Test Center), I-Portal® VNG, (Video Nystagmography) and I-Portal® VOG (Video Oculography), along with related accessories, software, training and support services.

I-Portal systems have been in use for many years by prominent university and federal laboratories for concussion research studies. Concussions, as mTBI’s are widely known, have become an increasing public health concern. Given the absence of an objective diagnostic device, health care practitioners are especially eager for a device that can measure concussion symptoms acutely and over time with speed, precision and reliability. Recent third party research initially indicates a battery of OVRT (oculomotor, vestibular, and reaction time) tests, in combination with NKI’s I-Portal devices, can support a more accurate diagnosis of mTBI (concussion) symptom measurement both acutely and during convalescence.