10May2008
Health Care Heroes
Posted by lcatchpoleWP under: Press.
DETECT’s Invenstors Dr. Michelle LaPlaca and Dr. David Wright have been named Health Care Innovation Heroes by the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Click here to see the complete article.
24April2008
Zenda selected to present at StartUp Riot May 19
Posted by lcatchpoleWP under: Events; Press.
What is Startup Riot?
Startup Riot is an all day showcase of innovative and cutting edge startups. Attendees will find the event to be an excellent way to see a wide range of innovation as well as cutting edge application of technologies to various markets. Presenting companies have many reasons to attend ranging from generating press and market awareness, to finding new talent, as well as connecting with potential investors.
24March2008
Zenda Technologies CEO Tapped For the Georgia Tech Technology Commercialization Services VentureLab Unit
Posted by mgilstrapWP under: Press.
Georgia Tech’s $400 million-plus annual research budget generates more than 300 invention disclosures each year.
VentureLab Fellows select particular discoveries that show promise as the basis for fast-growth startup companies. Then they provide those startups with support that includes help in securing seed funding, office/lab space and business and legal guidance.
“I’m extremely honored to have the opportunity to work with VentureLab,” said Lawrence Catchpole, CEO of Zenda Technologies a VentureLab Company. “I have deep passion for nurturing emerging technology, building successful companies around it, and for the Georgia Tech community.”
“The VentureLab Fellow program is a two-way street,” added Fleming, who is also Georgia Tech’s chief commercialization officer. “Although the Fellows are volunteers, they may encounter a company that’s a particularly good fit and go on to assume a leadership position.” This is the case with Catchpole and his position with Zenda Technologies. Zenda is the product of a new neuropsychological testing inventions, co-created by researchers at Georgia Tech and
As a one-stop center for technology commercialization, VentureLab provides a clear pathway from laboratory innovation to the commercial market. VentureLab specialists help transform innovations into early-stage companies by assisting in business plan development, connecting the innovators with experienced entrepreneurs, locating sources of early-stage financing, and preparing the new companies for the business world. Graduates of the VentureLab program may apply for admission to the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), which is also part of the Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute.
7March2008
Zenda Technologies Selected to Present at SEMDA Investor’s Conference
Posted by mgilstrapWP under: Press.
Zenda Technologies Selected to Present at the Southeast Medical Device Association (SEMDA) 2008 Investor’s Conference in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia, March 6th -Zenda Technologies, provider of neuropschological assessments solutions (http://www.zendatech.com), today announced that CEO Lawrence Catchpole and COO Mitch Gilstrap will be presenting at the Southeast Medical Device Association (SEMDA) 2008 Investor’s Conference (http://www.semd.org/investorconference/). The conference will be held on Thursday, March 13, 2008 at the Ritz Carlton Buckhead Hotel in Atlanta.
Zenda Technologies was selected from a pool of over 60 companies that applied to present. Conference attendees will include a select group of angel and venture capitalists from around the southeast focused on emerging medical device and life science companies.
About Zenda Technologies - www.zendatech.com - The purpose of Zenda Technologies is to deliver a novel, portable, immersive platform for rapid neuropsychological testing (ImTECH™). Our first test on the platform (DETECT) will screen for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) - symptomatic of early Alzheimer’s disease.
3March2008
CNNs Dr. Sanjay Gupta Talks about DETECT
Posted by lcatchpoleWP under: Press.
CNNs Chief Medical Correspondent talks about mild cognitive impairment and DETECT
Get the Flash Player to see this player.
16January2008
Portable Device Provides Quick, Inexpensive Detection of Early Alzheimer’s
Posted by lcatchpoleWP under: Press.
For more information:
Megan McRainey
Georgia Institute of Technology
Media Relations
404-894-6016
megan.mcrainey@icpa.gatech.edu
Jennifer Johnson
Emory University, Woodruff Health Sciences Center
404-727-5696 office, 404-227-3683 cell
jennifer.johnson@emory.edu
Portable Device Provides Quick, Inexpensive Detection of Early Alzheimer’s
ATLANTA (January 16, 2008) — The latest medications can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease but none are able to reverse its devastating effects. This limitation often makes early detection the key to Alzheimer’s patients maintaining a good quality of life for as long as possible.
Now, a new device developed by the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University may allow patients to take a brief, inexpensive test that could be administered as part of a routine yearly checkup at a doctor’s office to detect mild cognitive impairment (MCI) — often the earliest stage of Alzheimer’s. The device is expected to be commercialized later this year.
Current assessment tests capable of detecting early Alzheimer’s typically are taken with a pen and paper or at a computer terminal and last about an hour and a half. They must be given by a trained technician in a quiet environment, because any distractions can influence the patient’s score and reduce the test’s effectiveness. Because of their length and expense, the tests are not used as regular screening tools and typically are given only after there is obvious cognitive impairment such as forgetfulness or unsafe behavior.
“Families usually wait until their mom or dad does something somewhat dangerous, like forgetting to take their medications or getting lost, before bringing them in for testing. At that point, the patient has already lost a significant portion of their cognitive function,” said David Wright, MD, who helped develop the device. Wright is assistant professor of emergency medicine in Emory University School of Medicine and co-director of the Emory Emergency Medicine Research Center. “With this device, we might be able to pick up impairment well before those serious symptoms occur and start patients on medications that could delay those symptoms.”
The Georgia Tech and Emory device, called DETECT, gives individuals a roughly ten-minute test designed to gauge reaction time and memory — functions that, when impaired, are associated with the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease. The test is a specially modified, shortened version of the traditional pen and paper test and could be given repeatedly by doctors to evaluate any changes in cognitive functions.
“We really envision this to be part of the normal preventative care a patient receives from a general practitioner,” said Michelle LaPlaca, Ph.D., one of the creators of the device and an associate professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. “It would be part of a regular preventative medicine exam much like a PSA test or EKG (Electrocardiogram), serving as a cognitive impairment vital sign of sorts.”
The portable test runs patients through a battery of visual and auditory stimuli such as pictures and words that assess cognitive abilities relative to age, gauging reaction time and memory capabilities. Its software can track cognitive capabilities — and decline — year to year during annual appointments. And because the device blocks outside sound and light from the patient’s environment, it can be administered in virtually any setting, providing more consistent results.
Preliminary analysis of the first 100 patients of a 400 person clinical study being conducted at Emory’s Wesley Woods Center has shown that the 10 minute DETECT test has similar accuracy as the 90 minute ‘Gold Standard’ pen and paper test.
With millions of baby boomers easing into late adulthood, the number of patients with Alzheimer’s is expected to skyrocket over the next few decades. More than 24 million people worldwide are currently thought to have Alzheimer’s disease and by 2040, an estimated 81 million people worldwide are expected to develop the disease.
To give these millions of potential Alzheimer’s sufferers a chance to slow the disease’s advance before serious symptoms set in, doctors need an inexpensive and easy-to- administer test to detect and track the cognitive decline associated with the early stages of the disease.
The DETECT device is designed to be administered while a patient is still healthy, tracking any abnormal decreases in the patient’s cognitive performance over time. If a patient’s performance declines outside the normal range, the patient would then undergo additional testing and care from a neurologist, neuropsychologist or other specialist.
The DETECT system includes an LCD display in a visor with an onboard dedicated computer, noise reduction headphones and an input device (controller). The display projects the visual aspect of the test, the headphones provide the verbal instructions and the controller records the wearer’s response.
DETECT’s creators have formed a company, called Zenda Technologies (www.zendatech.com), to commercialize the device for MCI, as well as other conditions. Georgia Tech and Emory researchers are exploring other types of cognitive impairment such as Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) that could be picked up by DETECT. A version of the system designed to detect mild concussions on the sidelines of a football game, during other high-impact sports or on a battlefield, is still being tested.
The research was funded with a grant from the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation and support from the Georgia Research Alliance through Georgia Tech’s VentureLab.
Dr. Wright and Dr. LaPlaca have an equity interest in Zenda Technologies. In addition, Dr. Wright and Dr. LaPlaca are inventors on a patent application covering the DETECT technology, and may receive royalties or fees through the license agreement. Emory, Georgia Tech, Dr. Wright, and Dr. LaPlaca may benefit financially if Zenda Technologies is successful in marketing the DETECT device. Dr. Wright’s relationship with Zenda Technologies has been reviewed and approved by Emory in accordance with its policies on conflicts of interest.
###
5December2007
Zenda Technologies announces the launch of their newly designed corporate website
Posted by admin under: Press.
Zenda Technologies has recently announced the availability of its newly designed corporate website located at www.zendatech.com. The new website features clear navigation, focused content and a clean user interface for enhanced usability. The website includes white papers, comparison charts, and other valuable information a patient is seeking when making a health related decision. The site was built by the web development team at WebPoint Systems (http://www.webpointsystems.com).
“The website design is just the first of a few different strategic initiatives that will be announced over the next few weeks and in part, the design was done in collaboration with those new initiatives,” said Lawrence Catchpole, CEO for Zenda Technologies. “Because our company is growing and evolving, the message we deliver to potential patients and investors is also evolving with us and we want to be as clear as possible regarding the direction of our company.”
About Zenda Technologies
Zenda Technologies - www.zendatech.com - The purpose of Zenda Technologies is to deliver a novel, portable, immersive platform for rapid neuropsychological testing (ImTECH™).
Our first test on the platform (DETECT) will assess cognitive function for mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) associated with concussion and for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) - symptomatic of early Alzheimer’s disease.
Browse
Calendar
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| « May | ||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |||