Orbit Health has created the Neptune sensor for people with Parkinson’s. Parkinson’s Life spoke to the company’s co-founders Dr Franz MJ Pfister and Patty Lee to find out more
“One major gap in Parkinson’s clinical care today is that, as a doctor, you often rely on a small snapshot of information to treat people,” says Dr Franz MJ Pfister, a qualified medical doctor. “I would see my patients for only about 15 minutes at a time. Because their symptoms fluctuated heavily throughout the day, this snapshot of information painted an incomplete picture – making it difficult for me to make optimal treatment decisions. What I needed was continuous insight into symptoms and Parkinson’s progression.”
This led Franz to co-found Orbit Health with Patty Lee, the company’s CEO. Using sensor technology to collect motion data from people with Parkinson’s (PwPs), Franz created an algorithm that tracked motor fluctuations and treatment responses in PwPs.
On the left: Dr Franz MJ Pfister, Orbit Health co-founder. On the right: Patty Lee, Orbit Health co-founder and CEO.
This was then incorporated into Neptune, a wearable sensor and mobile app. Powered by artificial intelligence (AI), Neptune was developed so that clinicians could use its motor state insights to personalise PwPs’ care plans.
Franz says, “Through Neptune, we are able to provide objective information to help doctors adapt treatment on a person-by-person basis.”
Through Neptune, we are able to provide objective information to help doctors adapt treatment on a person-by-person basis
Dr Franz MJ Pfister, Orbit Health co-founder
Complementing Neptune is Neptune Care, a self-management app for PwPs. It enables them to log activities, and the presence of symptoms.
Neptune and Neptune Care are designed to help personalise care for people with Parkinson’s.
“With this technology, people with Parkinson’s can see how they respond to treatments or observe their motor states throughout the day,” explains Patty. “The more you wear the sensor and use the app, the more data and feedback Neptune Care will capture – and the more useful this tool will be,” she says.
“With this technology people can see how they respond to treatments throughout the day,” says Patty Lee.
Keen to get as much feedback about the product as possible, Orbit Health are currently looking for 100 PwPs to take part in their Early Access Program, which will give those eligible one year of Neptune Care free of charge.
Read the full story in Parkinson’s Life.
Further reading:
- Sign up to Neptune Care’s Early Access programme
- Read the sponsored article 'How one doctor’s experience inspired a new tool for Parkinson’s disease'.
As a person with Parkinson’s, how do you feel about wearing a sensor in order to improve your treatment? Email info@parkinsonseurope.org and tell us your stories.
Parkinson's Europe is sharing this article for information purposes only; it does not represent Parkinson's Europe's views and is not an endorsement by Parkinson's Europe of any particular treatments, therapies or products.
