- Pallab Ghosh
- science correspondent
January 23, 2023
Image copyright20th Century Studios
caption,
The Avatar films used sensors to capture the actors’ movements and make them look like aliens. Scientists have adapted the technology to track disease progression.
Motion capture suits, which bring characters to life in films like Avatar, are helping researchers track outbreaks of diseases that affect movement.
The new system uses artificial intelligence to analyze body movements.
In research tests published in the journal Nature Medicine, British experts measured the severity of two genetic disorders twice as fast as experienced doctors under these conditions.
In many cases, early assessment of such movements makes it easier for the patient to receive appropriate support and treatment.
The researchers say so too could halve the time and cost required to develop new drugs in clinical studies.
dr Valeria Ricotti, from the Institute of Child Health at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, told the BBC she was “completely impressed with the results”.
“The implications for diagnostics and new drug development for a wide range of diseases could be absolutely tremendous,” he added.
Ricotti was also part of a group of researchers from Imperial College and London University College who spent 10 years developing the new technology. They tested it on patients with Friedreich’s ataxia and Duchenne muscular dystrophy in two separate studies.
Researchers say it could also be used to monitor patients recovering from other diseases that affect movement. These include any condition affecting the brain and nervous systemthe heart, lungs, muscles, bones and a variety of psychiatric disorders.
Tracking the severity and likely progression of such diseases typically involves measuring the speed and precision with which patients perform a series of standardized movements. This assessment, which is critical to determining what support and treatment a patient needs, can take years.
Image copyright Great Ormand Street Hospital
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James has sensors on his wrists, elbows and knees to monitor how his movement is affected by a rare genetic disorder called Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Less time and less costs
The two recently published studies show that the motion capture system can do this much faster and more accurately. The system was adapted from the technology used to capture the movement of actors in the Avatar films to create lifelike aliens on screen.
Professor Aldo Faisal of Imperial College, one of the scientists who came up with the idea, said it was a huge improvement.
“Our new approach detects subtle movements that humans can’t see,” he said. “It has the ability to transform clinical trials and improve patient diagnosis and follow-up.”
Image copyrightThmoas Angus/Imperial College
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Professor Aldo Faisal (right) is developing sensors that can track movement outdoors and in everyday situations outside of the clinic.
Friedreich’s ataxia usually occurs in adolescence and affects one in 50,000 peoplewhile Duchenne muscular dystrophy affects 20,000 children a year, mostly male, around the world. There is currently no cure for either.
A team from Imperial College tested motion-sensitive suits on patients with Friedreich’s ataxia for the first time. They found that artificial intelligence could predict the worsening of the disease in 12 months, half the time it normally takes an expert.
A separate team at Great Ormond Street Hospital tested the technology on 21 boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, aged between 5 and 18. He predicted how his movement would affect him six months into the future, much more accurately than a doctor could.
Researchers believe the system could be used to speed up clinical trials and reduce costs to test new drugs across a wide range of conditions.
In particular, it can make testing new drugs for rare genetic diseases more cost-effective.
Image copyrightThomas Angus/Imperial College
caption,
The movement is recorded and analyzed by an artificial intelligence system capable of assessing any deterioration in a patient twice as fast as the best doctors.
Professor Paola Giunti, director of the Ataxia Center at London’s Global University, said: “We will be able to test more medicines with fewer patients at a lower cost.”
In the case of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, at least 100 patients over a period of approximately 18 months are required to obtain statistically significant results on the efficacy of a new drug. The study showed that the new system could potentially be used in 15 patients for six months.
Around 6,000 rare genetic diseases collectively affect around 1 in 17 people in the UK. The number of patients with each disease can be a few hundred or less. This discourages pharmaceutical companies from conducting expensive clinical trials to develop new drugs to treat them.
radical change
Professor Richard Festenstein, of London’s Medical Research Council Institute of Medical Sciences, told the BBC the suit technology he helped develop had the potential to transform the economics of drug research.
“This will encourage the pharmaceutical industry to invest in rare diseases,” he said. “The main beneficiaries of our research will be the patients, as the technology will be able to develop new treatments much faster.”
Researchers are already seeking approval to use motion capture for drug trials for Friedreich’s ataxia and Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which could begin in two years. They are also collecting data for use in Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and erythema multiforme.
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