Research shows that a brainwave biomarker licensed by digital therapeutic spinout Empower Therapeutics can reliably and accurately identify patients with high sensitivity to pain.
The study, which was carried out in Birmingham, U.K. by an international collaboration of researchers, showed that the biomarker can predict which patients a pain score of 7/10 or higher following chest surgery (thoracotomy).
Before surgery, the team measured the patients’ alpha waves. Over 72 hours following surgery, participants were asked to score their pain on a scale from 1-10. The researchers were able to demonstrate a clear link between the patient’s alpha waves and their responses to pain. They found that people whose alpha waves oscillated below 9 Hz were much more vulnerable to severe pain post-surgery.
The brainwave biomarker is being leveraged by University of Birmingham spinout Empower Therapeutics to both identify pain sensitive individuals and change their perception of pain.Building upon the reported diagnostic capabilities, Empower Therapeutics aims to create digital therapies that measure and modify the biomarker to reduce pain sensitivity and relieve chronic pain.
Formed in 2021, Empower Therapeutics is led by CEO Steven Rothenberg, M.D., a serial entrepreneur and physician, and CSO Andrew Furman, Ph.D, a pain neuroscientist who contributed to the foundational biomarker research at the University of Maryland, Baltimore and co-authored the present study. The study was led by Dr. Ali Mazaheri from the University of Birmingham’s Centre for Human Brain Health with contributions from co-author Dr. David Seminowicz from Western University (Canada), both of whom serve as scientific advisors to the company.
Dr. Blakely O’Connor, a Harvard-trained bioengineer and COO of Empower Therapuetics, said: “I am excited about the possibilities and potential of this cutting-edge research to translate into tools and therapies that enable people to alleviate pain with fewer drugs and invasive interventions. It is encouraging to see our therapeutic target validated as a meaningful measure of pain sensitivity for patients in aclinical setting.”