CMSC Announces Technology Contests to Improve MS Patients’ Quality Of Life

The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) announced two contests that will be featured at its Annual Meeting, May 28–June 1 in Seattle, Washington.

The contests, called “Design for Rehabilitation — Take the Challenge” and “CMSC Neuroinnovator,” are aimed at creating new technologies to improve the quality of life of people with multiple sclerosis (MS).

The “Design for Rehabilitation” competition is being led by Christopher C. Luzzio, MD, University of Wisconsin. It will include teams of at least one MS healthcare professional (e.g., neurologist, physical therapist, or an occupational therapist), one engineering student, one faculty adviser, and a MS patient.

Each team will identify a problem or challenge faced by MS patients, and then come up with an inventive solution to address it — be it an assistive device or another invention.

Teams will present their solutions at the CMSC Annual Meeting in the form of a poster and a short video (five minutes). Participants’ inventions will be judged on specific criteria, including impact, functionality, quality, and team effort.

The goal of the “CMSC Neuroinnovator” competition is to design a mobile application that will improve MS care, patient education, and/or disease management. Participants, who may include solo investigators, multi-disciplinary teams, and manufacturers, must submit a one-page letter of intent detailing their proposed idea, and how it fills an unmet need for MS patients.

Applications will be scored based on specific criteria, including the potential value to patients, the quality of the submitted content, the degree of innovation, and its future potential.

Three finalists will be selected to present their ideas to a panel of judges at the CMSC annual meeting. The grand prize winner will receive $1,000, the title of “2019 CMSC Neuroinnovator,” and help in developing and launching the proposed mobile application from both CMSC and the University of Texas Southwestern Neuroinnovation Program.

“We are excited to support and host these new contests at the CMSC Annual Meeting and celebrate ingenuity and innovative technologies that will benefit those living with MS,” June Halper, the CEO of CMSC, said in a press release.

For more information about the two CMSC contests, visit this link.