Project description
New device to fight chronic pain
Chronic pain is a major health problem and a leading cause of disability. More than 150 million Europeans experience chronic pain, which diminishes their quality of life and adds additional costs to the healthcare systems. It is expected that the number of patients will increase as the population ages. Existing conventional treatments have a partial impact making the need for viable solutions crucial. The EU-funded AuriMod project is developing a wearable device for non-invasive pain management based on the electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve in the ear. Its pioneering biofeedback-controlled algorithm elaborates a patient’s physiological data in real time to automatically adjust the therapy, accounting for individual patient needs and continuous monitoring needs of physicians. The project will demonstrate the safety and performance of the device.
Objective
Chronic pain is one of the most underestimated healthcare problems in the world today, causing major consequences for the quality of life of the sufferer and a major burden on the healthcare system and society. One in five people in the general adult population – 150 million Europeans – have chronic pain, more than heart disease, cancer and diabetes combined. With an aging population, the problem is likely to be felt even stronger in the years to come. Conventional treatment options offer only a partial response to the problem, with many people continuing to suffer with their severe chronic pain on a daily basis despite receiving several treatments. Consequently, there is a true and significant unmet need in optimal pain management. SzeleSTIM offers an innovative patient-centred, non-invasive pain management system based on electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve in the ear. Its unique biofeedback-controlled algorithm uses patient real-time physiological data for automatically adjusting the therapy. In this way, SzeleSTIM paves the way for truly individualized therapy, based on the patient’s individual condition and dynamic needs. In addition to pain management, other potential future applications of the AuriMod device include vascular diseases such as Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD), but also migraine, or autoimmune diseases. The key objective of the project is to demonstrate the safety, efficacy and usability of AuriMod when applied to the auricle, confirming also the performance and usability of a therapy management system put in place, in order to eventually achieve CE marking and reimbursement in target countries.
Fields of science
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicineangiologyvascular diseases
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicineendocrinologydiabetes
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicineimmunologyautoimmune diseases
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicineoncology
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicineperipheral vascular disease
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-2 - SME instrument phase 2Coordinator
1030 WIEN
Austria
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.