WARF: Echometrix awarded grant to develop dynamic ultrasound technology

Contact: Sam Adams, Echometrix CEO

sadams@echo-metrix.com

(608) 217-2685

Jennifer Sereno, WARF

jsereno@warf.org

(608) 770-8084

SBIR funds will enable WARF licensee to improve its novel systems for advanced diagnosis and management of tendon and ligament injuries

MADISON, Wis. — Echometrix has been awarded a $148,482 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop and test proprietary software for improved diagnosis and management of tendon and ligament injuries.

The phase I grant, awarded as part of the federal Small Business Innovation Research program, supports creation of novel software technology to evaluate dynamic ultrasound images for a more accurate assessment of the functional status of soft tissues such as tendons and ligaments. Currently, radiologists diagnose most musculoskeletal diseases or injuries by observing MRI images.

“This grant will allow us to make a significant leap forward in the objective and low-cost measurement of the healing process,’’ said Sam Adams, chief executive officer of Echometrix. “The technology we are developing will use dynamic image analysis of captured ultrasound signals from tendons and ligaments. The results will be presented in a clear, easy-to-interpret display that enables evaluation of the functional properties of the affected tissues.’’

Adams said the technology offers significant advantages over current systems. It promises to reduce the risk of re-injury by quantifying healing progress. It also will address a growing need for low-cost methods to improve the initial diagnosis of strains, sprains and partial tears, which together account for 38 percent of the 16 million musculoskeletal treatment episodes annually.

Hirohito Kobayashi, a company co-founder and co-inventor of the key technologies, will lead the research and development project funded by the SBIR grant. Adams said this latest research will improve and test the company’s platform image processing functionality prior to the launch of the company’s initial product, EchoSoft, in the months ahead. EchoSoft technology analyzes previously unused information carried by ultrasound waves to quantify the extent of musculoskeletal injuries.

The technology behind EchoSoft applies the theory of acoustoelasticity to measure biological materials and was developed by Kobayashi and Ray Vanderby, a professor of orthopedics and rehabilitation at UW–Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health. The technology is assigned to the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and licensed exclusively to Echometrix.

Potential applications for EchoSoft and the dynamic image technology include arthritis evaluation, sports medicine, workplace rehabilitation and military use.

Echometrix, which employs three, is currently obtaining customer feedback on its prototypes, executing clinical studies and preparing a submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for 510(k) premarket notification clearance. For more information, please visit http://www.echo-metrix.com<http://www.echo-metrix.com/>.

About WARF

Since its founding in 1925 to manage a UW–Madison discovery that eventually eliminated the childhood disease rickets, WARF has been working with industry to transform university research into products that benefit society. As a private, nonprofit organization, WARF accomplishes its mission of supporting scientific research by patenting and licensing inventions arising from university discoveries. Since making its first grant of $1,200 in 1928, WARF has contributed more than $1 billion to UW–Madison through annual “margin of excellence” grants and other funding.