Machine Medicine
Machine Medicine makes motor assessment simple and scalable through video. Starting with movement disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease (PD), Machine Medicine’s technology is being used to radically improve both assessment and therapeutic delivery, especially in the transformative field of neuromodulation.
Their first product, KELVIN, is being used to conduct motor assessments at some of the leading clinical sites in the US, UK and Europe, and being utilised in multiple clinical trials. On the basis of the large and growing dataset they have amassed, they have been developing KELVIN-PD, an algorithm for assessing PD-patients in a fully automated and scalable fashion. KELVIN-PD was awarded Breakthrough Device Designation in 2021 and is slated for FDA approval in 2023.
Scroll down for our interview with the co-founder:
Interview with:
Dr Jonathan O’Keeffe, CEO & Founder
Why did you start Machine Medicine?
I wanted to combine my interests in medicine, technology and neuroscience into a single focus that I could optimise for maximum impact.
What has been your happiest moment so far as a startup founder?
Achieving revenues of over $1M. This milestone gave me real confidence that Machine Medicine could be a viable company while solving technically and medically important problems.
What is the most important thing you’ve learned to date?
Hire well, and make sure they are always working on the most important things.
Are there any founders or companies you look up to?
I think Amazon is an extraordinary company, whose dedication to customer service deserves to be replicated across many sectors, but especially health.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem (entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity) - Ockham’s razor.
What is the quality you most admire in a colleague?
Parsimony of speech combined with clarity of thought.
What is your current state of mind?
Cautious optimism.
Why did you decide to partner with KHP Ventures?
KHP understood what we are trying to do, and showed both a willingness to invest and to help in practical ways.
Looking to the future, what do you hope Feebris will achieve?
Machine Medicine aims to build something akin to an operating system for the delivery of neuromodulation. Such a platform would enable a nervous system, or component of it, to be reprogrammed therapeutically, allowing a huge variety of medical conditions to be addressed using a small set of standardised and commoditised devices.