Project partner Sherpa
Who Are We?
Sherpa is an independent Dutch company that believes the future of disease management for specific neurological conditions is based on self-monitoring. We develop medical apps and clinical solutions with digital biomarkers to support remote monitoring, disease progression, and personalized treatment regimens. Through the use of smartphone technology, we can objectively detect disease progression using digital clinical tests and additional PROs. With our platform, we assist patients and clinicians in adhering to guidelines for monitoring individuals with neurodegenerative diseases.
For Multiple Sclerosis, we have already developed "MS Sherpa," a software solution classified as a medical device. The foundation of MS Sherpa lies in the fact that the outcome measures are conventional and widely accepted in the care pathway and clinical trials for MS. The unique feature is that it allows for more frequent measurements, conducted in the personal environment of individuals with MS. Using our advanced statistical modeling, we provide "individual performance curves over time" to monitor the performance of individual patients. With our academic approach, we validate our solutions in collaboration with our research and clinical partners. MS Sherpa is already being used by MS clinics in the Netherlands and Germany.
Our expertise lies in the discovery, development, and validation of medical apps in collaboration with end-users. Therefore, we place a high value on secure development that adheres to the strictest privacy standards for our users. In terms of quality and security, we meet the highest standards, including ISO27001, NEN7510, and ISO13485. Our products are CE certified as Medical Device Class IIa. Additionally, we comply with interoperability standards for data exchange with hospital systems, supporting a fully automated workflow for the clinical team. Our expertise and technology will also be applied within the "Parkinson Vibrating Socks" project.
Why a Medical App for Remote Monitoring?
For incurable diseases like Parkinson's Disease (PD), preventing disability and preserving quality of life is crucial from the moment of diagnosis. However, disease activity symptoms can be subtle, and a complicating factor is that symptoms can also vary on a day-to-day basis. Standard clinical monitoring with infrequent hospital visits is insufficient to detect subtle changes in physical and cognitive functioning over time, nor can it capture how a patient's functioning can fluctuate even within a day. More frequent and objective monitoring of relevant PD-related symptoms between outpatient visits is seen as a viable solution to capture this variability. However, this cannot be accomplished in a hospital setting. The increasing digitalization and availability of user-friendly devices and technology enable caregivers and patients to utilize a new category of digital biomarkers for monitoring, influencing, and/or predicting health-related outcomes. This also facilitates closer monitoring, supporting the detection of disease activity and disability progression, as well as real-life data collection and personalized insights for precision medicine and treatment.
What Are Our Tasks in the Project?
In the "Parkinson Vibrating Socks" project, we will leverage our knowledge and technology for the discovery and development of the medical app. After defining the requirements, we will begin with an initial prototype to test with the end users. More specifically within this project, we will also integrate with the vibrating socks as a data source for remote monitoring. Together with our project partners and the project's steering committee, we will develop the medical app as a part of the vibrating socks solution. Beyond the development tasks, we will also engage with the project partners regarding market validation and potential introduction on. On our website, we share our latest insights and eagerly anticipate being part of this project and collaborating with the project partners.