Kinza Kasher from LeoPlus USA was selected from a list of 10 finalists to receive the $25,000 grant for “Addressing Unmet Needs in MS: An Innovation Challenge,” Lyfebulb and Celgene announced.
This initiative’s goal is to encourage the development of innovative solutions to help those affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) overcome daily life challenges, or to address an unmet need beyond available therapies.
The grant will be used to further develop Kasher’s potential solution, Duet, a device coupled with an app that aims to help MS patients communicate with others and improve disease management.
“We know communication within families affected by multiple sclerosis can be challenging. Duet is an innovative way to create connections with those you love,” Tim Coetzee, PhD, who served as chair of the judging panel for the grant, said in a press release. Coetzee is chief advocacy, services and research officer at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Duet was designed to ease communication between MS patients and those who care for them by using an app to share messages.
The device has eight sides, so each MS patient can customize the program to have eight different messages at a given time. Each message will have a different color according to patient’s feelings. For example, a patient can program the device so that when he/she needs help the message will have a red color, or be yellow when he/she feels happy, or blue if the patient is calm, for example.
Duet also was designed to help those who receive the messages better understand the disease and help the MS patient, by sharing helpful tips about symptoms management.
According to Kasher, this strategy can represent an important tool for families affected by MS, while reducing the gap the disease may create between family members.