Three million dollars from the Ohio Third Frontier program, a funding initiative designed to make Ohio a technological hub, was awarded to biomedical engineering researchers at Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute in collaboration with those from the Cleveland Clinic Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation of the Center of Geriatric Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, and the Advanced Platform Technology Center of Excellence at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center. The funding will support research and development of an innovative approach to rehabilitation through "Clinically Applied Rehabilitation Engineering (CARE)."
This award, approved by external review by the National Academies of Science (NAS), is part of Ohio Third Frontier's Wright Projects Program Funding, a program that provides funds for the purchase of capital equipment to support defined commercialization goals within the technological sector.
The major piece of equipment for the CARE program is a CAREN rehabilitation system by Motek Medical and Bertec Corporation that will be housed at the Cleveland Clinic. The military is currently using similar equipment for the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers. "We are now expanding on this available technology, applying it to clinical, research, and commercialization purposes," says Margot Damaser, PhD, the lead investigator who will be carrying the project forward with Co-PI, Jay Alberts, PhD.
The proposed CARE system is designed to target patients requiring any of a broad range of rehabilitative intervention. Among the diseases to be addressed are: cardiovascular (e.g., stroke, peripheral vascular disease), neurodegenerative (e.g. Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis), metabolic (e.g. diabetes), and musculoskeletal (e.g. arthritis). In addition, this system will allow much needed research into the effects of these diseases and related conditions, such as aging and injury, on balance and mobility.
Energy-efficient gait orthoses for multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury patients, adaptive exercise systems for Parkinson's Disease patients, and an integrated dressing for treating pressure ulcers, are all examples of products the CARE team proposes to develop and market. "All of these applications are possible only because of the interdisciplinary network of physicians and world-class researchers at the forefront of pursuing bench-to-bedside concepts in an environment that promotes innovation," says Dr. Damaser.
Commercialization will not only provide a completely new line of services, but will also help secure technology-based jobs in Ohio, a major goal of the Ohio Third Frontier. Bertec Corporation of Columbus and Parker Hannifin of Cleveland are the corporate collaborators of the CARE Project, who, along with the Cleveland Clinic, are committed to creating 33 new jobs over the next three years – an investment of over $2M annually to Ohio's economy.
Until now, research and clinical application of rehabilitation devices have been severely limited by the inability of traditional technology to reliably assess a dynamic subject. Subsequently, reaching rehabilitation goals was often ineffective.
This has all changed with advanced technologies compiled by Motek Medical and Bertec Corporation. The system that will be used by the CARE project incorporates a "smart" platform that can move with six degrees of freedom using software to simulate everything from bomb-blasted terrain to bumps in a sidewalk. It can respond to input data in real-time so precisely that it can maintain a pencil balanced on end. Dual treadmills allow for mechanized assist to a patient's mobility-challenged side. A virtual reality component adds a real-world touch while maintaining a safe, controlled environment, and a five-meter-wide screen provides optimal visualization. These features will allow research, clinical, and product applications that have been previously impossible.
The project was originally submitted by Brian Davis, PhD, who has successfully landed a total of three Ohio Third Frontier grants, but who has recently re-located. Although he recently relocated, he is confident in the Project's current leadership and maintains a supportive relationship with them. Cleveland Clinic Innovations was also actively involved in the project's development. Case Western Reserve University is committed to training rehabilitation engineers through specific coursework and interactive opportunities with CARE researchers. Collaborations with Case Western Reserve University and the Louis Stokes Cleveland Veteran's Administration Medical Center will provide advanced prototyping and training facilities, as well as development of ancillary technologies for complete bench to bedside device development within the CARE project.
Together, the CARE team will pool their expertise in biomechanics, translational research and development, commercialization success, and clinical excellence to improve the understanding of mobility-related conditions and diseases, create and market state-of-the-art clinical rehabilitation devices, and establish Ohio as a rehabilitation destination.
As a beneficiary of the Ohio Third Frontier program, investigators of the CARE Project thank the voters who supported Issue 1 on May 4, 2010, with a 62% vote for the Ohio Third Frontier program, securing its funding through 2015. As of January 1, 2010, this program has commercialized or created over 630 companies and attracted more than $4.76 billion in private investment to Ohio, making nearly a 9:1 return on investment since it began in 2002.