Swiss Epilepsy Center and NeuroPro AG to launch pioneering brain data storage and analysis platform

Swiss Epilepsy Center and NeuroPro AG to launch pioneering brain data storage and analysis platform

The Swiss Epilepsy Center (EPI) and NeuroPro AG are launching their partnership at The Brain Forum 2016. Together, they expect to deliver the world's leading platform for the collaborative curation and computation of brain data collected all from over the world, accelerating epilepsy research and advancing our understanding and treatment of this devastating disease.

Epilepsy is a common, serious neurological disorder affecting over 50 million people of all ages globally. It is characterised by a long-term risk of recurrent seizures that often cannot be cured. People with epilepsy have an elevated risk of death including increased incidence of suicide and risk of SUDEP (sudden, unexpected death of someone with epilepsy). Medication may control seizures in about two-thirds of cases with resective neurosurgery and deep brain stimulation being indicated in treatment refractory individuals.

Diagnosis of epilepsy can be difficult: a number of other conditions may present with very similar signs and symptoms. An electroencephalogram (EEG) combined with video monitoring can assist in identifying brain activity associated with an increased risk of seizures and may also distinguish the type of seizure or syndrome present.

Thus, epilepsy is a chronic condition requiring comprehensive interdisciplinary care. Diagnosis, monitoring and surgery requires co-operation between multiple medical centres, involving a wide range of physicians of different disciplines. “While better collaboration can improve the quality and continuity of care for patients with epilepsy, collaboration and sharing of medical data across these centres is often challenging, inefficient and can be a barrier for delivering high-quality, well-informed care”, says Professor Thomas Grunwald, Medical Director of the Swiss Epilepsy Centre.

Therefore, the Swiss Epilepsy Centre are collaborating with NeuroPro AG to deploy the world's leading brain data storage and analysis platform. VMLpro (The Virtual Mobile Laboratory) is a cloud platform that facilitates the collation, curation, collaboration and computation of extremely large EEG data sets from anywhere, at anytime. “NeuroPro’s secure cloud platform enables collaborative healthcare on an unprecedented scale by allowing unlimited geographically separated users to access and process EEG and video data, without the barriers of institutional firewalls.” says Dr Jamil El-Imad, Chief Scientist at NeuroPro AG.

Following the successful pilot phase, initially facilitating the collaboration between clinics within the Zurich Centre for Epileptology and Epilepsy Surgery, the collaboration hopes to be expanded internationally to include clinical partners who require remote epileptology expertise. Since the rate at which data is being acquired vastly outstrips the rate that it can be accurately assessed by qualified clinical personnel, growing demand for telehealth services is foreseen.

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Swiss Epilepsy Centre

A modern interdisciplinary neurological centre and part of the Swiss Epilepsy Centre (EPI), the Swiss Epilepsy Clinic at Clinic Lengg is dedicated to diagnosing, treating and caring for epilepsy sufferers and represents a Competence Centre for epilepsy research and treatment of national and international standing, consisting of specialised epilepsy services in various institutions.

Contact
Schweizerische Epilepsie-Stiftung (Swiss Epilepsy Foundation) Bleulerstrasse 60
8008 Zürich, Switzerland
T +41 44 387 61 11 W www.swissepi.ch

NeuroPro

NeuroPro takes advantage of the latest advances in computer science and digital technology to create new tools for next generation brain science. NeuroPro incorporates specialists from the fields of computer science, neurophysiology, bioengineering, and product and user-interface design. This combination of skills allows us to adopt an informed inter-disciplinary approach to the specific challenges facing those working in brain science.

NeuroPro’s tools provide an advanced platform for the development of a wide range of health and wellness applications from supporting the development of brain observatories to remote telemonitoring, patient led research, neurofeedback and cognitive wellness. Additionally, NeuroPro’s tools are relevant to innovative entertainment, lifestyle and interaction solutions driven by brain computer interface technologies.

Contact
NeuroPro AG Fraumünsterstrasse 16 8001 Zürich, Switzerland
T +41 44 229 6007 E info@neuropro.ch W www.neuropro.ch