Digital motor-skill tracking for infants with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy using wearables
Official title: Digital Assessment of Motor Skills in Infants and young boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy using Wearable Sensors
Funded at Biosensics, LLC · NIH-11407133 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A wearable-sensor project aims to quietly track and quantify how motor skills develop in babies and young boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Biosensics, LLC NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Newton, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | September 1, 2026 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $314,362 |
| NIH project number | 1R41AR087264-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11407133 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are infants and boys up to about 4 years old diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy or at high risk who can participate in wearing sensors during routine activities.
✕Less likely to help
Children outside the target age range or without DMD may not directly benefit from this specific sensor-based approach.
What this research studies
This grant funds development of wearable sensors to measure motor abilities in infants and preschool boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, using objective data to detect early changes in function. The approach focuses on minimal burden for families while providing precise, continuous motor assessments that could guide early treatment decisions. Results could help clinicians tailor therapies sooner and track disease progression more accurately over time.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the project could enable earlier, more precise monitoring of motor development to inform treatment choices and improve quality of life for children with DMD.
How similar studies have gone: Prior methods like Bayley Scales have limitations; this project proposes a new objective measurement approach that could complement or surpass current assessments.
Where this research is happening
-
Biosensics, LLC
Newton, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Thangarajh, Mathula — Biosensics, LLC
- Study coordinator: Thangarajh, Mathula
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Advancing manufacturing and release testing for a Duchenne gene editing therapy
A project to optimize how a dual-vector AAV gene editing treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy is made and tested, so it can move toward clinical use.
-
Understanding why Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy worsens and how to stop it
A research team at USC is studying Duchenne muscular dystrophy to find out why the disease continues to progress and how to interrupt harmful changes in muscle tissue.
-
Stopping steroid-related muscle and bone wasting in Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Researchers are testing ways to protect muscles and bones in people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy who take long-term steroid medicines.
-
MR clues to how nNOS affects energy use and blood flow in Becker and Duchenne muscular dystrophy
This project looks at how advanced MRI tests can track muscle energy and blood flow changes in people with Becker and Duchenne muscular dystrophy as new gene therapies are explored.
-
Genetic factors that influence Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy progression
A study to find genes that change how severe Duchenne muscular dystrophy is in boys and young men, using patient data and DNA samples.
-
Optimizing gene therapy to help breathing in Duchenne muscular dystrophy
A Duke University team is testing a gene therapy approach to improve breathing in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.