The development and validation of a novel tool for the assessment of bulbar dysfunction in ALS

Information

  • Research Project
  • 10405152
  • ApplicationId
    10405152
  • Core Project Number
    R01DC017291
  • Full Project Number
    3R01DC017291-04S1
  • Serial Number
    017291
  • FOA Number
    PA-20-272
  • Sub Project Id
  • Project Start Date
    7/20/2018 - 6 years ago
  • Project End Date
    6/30/2023 - a year ago
  • Program Officer Name
    SHEKIM, LANA O
  • Budget Start Date
    7/1/2021 - 3 years ago
  • Budget End Date
    6/30/2022 - 2 years ago
  • Fiscal Year
    2021
  • Support Year
    04
  • Suffix
    S1
  • Award Notice Date
    8/4/2021 - 3 years ago

The development and validation of a novel tool for the assessment of bulbar dysfunction in ALS

Project Summary The overall aim of our ?parent? grant proposal is to develop and validate a clinician-administered bulbar dysfunction assessment tool for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), called ALS-Index of Bulbar Dysfunction (ALS-IBD). Interrupted by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, clinical practices as well as clinical research have been forced to pivot, simultaneously providing an unprecedented opportunity for the development of new and expansion of existing remote assessment platforms, which can serve clinical and research assessment needs. As part of this pivoting effort, we recently created VirtualSLP, a software tool to support remote, online multi- modal - high quality video/kinematic and audio/acoustic ? data collection, using a multi-platform compatible, web-browser based audio and video recordings. In parallel, we have designed a tool for automatic extraction of kinematic and acoustic metrics of neurological diseases, which provides clinically interpretable features/ measures that have been identified as important for detecting and tracking the onset and progression of oro- motor and speech (aka bulbar) impairments in neurological diseases. The next step in the progression of our technology development efforts is to incorporate the automatic metrics extraction software within VirtualSLP, creating a user-friendly and intuitive cloud-based platform for research and clinical assessment of bulbar dysfunction. To achieve rapid development and deployment of VirtualSLP, we will use modern engineering methodology and user-centered design to iterate through a number of steps in the software development cycle. The cycle will begin with the engagement of end users (e.g., researchers, clinicians and patients) in design sessions to document users' current and anticipated end-to-end experiences with the software, while performing the baseline analysis of the existing software components and determining and implementing necessary changes. The necessary components will be incorporated to create VirtualSLP on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) platform, to enhance its usability, interoperability, scalability, and security, as part of the NIH STRIDES initiative. Usability testing of Virtual SLP with end users will be performed throughout the development process and at the end of the development cycle. When completed, the work will result in an enhanced software tool for collection of audio and video data and corresponding AI-based analytics to be used in the context of clinical research. VirtualSLP will propel our specific work on developing a clinician- administered tool for bulbar ALS assessment and monitoring (ALS-IBD-Remote) by providing a novel cloud- based platform for its clinical validation. This work aims to exemplify the intent of the current funding opportunity by supporting collaborations between clinical speech scientists, data scientists, and software engineers to enhance the design, implementation, and cloud-readiness of research software.

IC Name
NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION DISORDERS
  • Activity
    R01
  • Administering IC
    DC
  • Application Type
    3
  • Direct Cost Amount
    177819
  • Indirect Cost Amount
    9040
  • Total Cost
    186859
  • Sub Project Total Cost
  • ARRA Funded
    False
  • CFDA Code
    173
  • Ed Inst. Type
  • Funding ICs
    OD:186859\
  • Funding Mechanism
    Non-SBIR/STTR RPGs
  • Study Section
    ZDC1
  • Study Section Name
    Special Emphasis Panel
  • Organization Name
    SUNNYBROOK RESEARCH INSTITUTE
  • Organization Department
  • Organization DUNS
    246840065
  • Organization City
    TORONTO
  • Organization State
    ON
  • Organization Country
    CANADA
  • Organization Zip Code
    M4N 3M5
  • Organization District
    CANADA