PainChek is developing a version of its mobile pain assessment and monitoring app for non-verbal children with disabilities.
Its development was supported by an AUD$392,820 (approx. US$260,000) grant from the Western Australian State Government as part of the inaugural Innovation Seed Fund. The said fund has allocated a total of A$8 million (US$5.45 million) to 17 projects focused on improving the health and well-being of Western Australians.
The project, titled “Recognizing Pain in Children Who Can’t Say It Hurts: PainChek for Children with Disabilities,” is led by Jenny Downs of the Telethon Kids Institute along with PainChek.
WHY IT MATTERS
According to a media release, the project aims to create a digital tool that enables fast and accurate pain detection to improve pain management for children who communicate non-verbally.
“Pain in children living with disabilities is common and can have a significant negative impact on their quality of life. For those caring for these children, it can be difficult to know when they are in pain,” said Jeff Hughes, PainChek’s chief scientific officer.
The PainChek app uses AI and facial recognition to detect pain in people who can’t self-report. It will be rolled out globally in two phases – first for adults and then for toddlers who are still learning to speak. Both versions have received regulatory approval in various markets including Australia, Europe, UK, New Zealand, Singapore and Canada.
PainChek said it will own the exclusive rights to use the upcoming app’s intellectual property for commercialization. It will also have “global, irrevocable, exclusive and perpetual rights for future development or refinement of pain assessment tools”.
THE BIGGER TREND
Two weeks ago, ASX-listed PainChek completed a rights offering and share offering to raise approximately $4.59 million to accelerate its global launch. Specifically, the funds are used to support the development of the PainChek app for infants.
In May last year, the company received approvals to commercialize its PainChek Infant app in Europe and the UK. It has been approved for use in infants aged 1 to 12 months.
