Scottsdale, AZ-based CND Life Sciences announced on Friday that it has been awarded a $4.2 million grant from the Arizona Governor’s Office for the creation of a digital biosignatures library for neurodegenerative disorders.
CND develops and commercializes skin-based tests for the diagnosis and treatment of neurologic disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Lewy-body dementia, multiple system atrophy, and peripheral neuropathies.
Neurologic disorders, which are frequently diagnosed after they have become debilitating, are predicted to double in prevalence by 2050. Furthermore, patients with neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s are at higher risk for severe symptoms and death with COVID-19 infection.
With the funds from the Governor's Office, CND plans to develop and open the Digital Biosignatures Lab in 2023 adjacent to its headquarters, adding image analysis driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and other digital tools to the company’s cutaneous neurodiagnostic technology. Grant funds will facilitate the hiring of personnel, establishment of computing capacity, and acceleration of research projects. The eventual goal of CND's Digital Biosignatures Lab will be to develop precision AI-assisted neurodiagnostic tools for clinical practice, the firm said.
"Creating a Digital Biosignatures Lab for Neurodegenerative Diseases right here in Scottsdale has the chance to transform how physicians diagnose and treat these debilitating diseases," Dr. Todd Levine, chief medical officer of CND Life Sciences and director of neurology at HonorHealth, said in a statement.
