USA – PediaMetrix, Inc., theRockville, Maryland-based creator of SoftSpotTM, an FDA-cleared mobile app for cranial evaluation at the point of care, received official notification from the National Institutes of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) that it has been awarded a $1.93 million Fast-Track Small Business Award over a 2.5-year period.
The company will further develop SoftSpot for comprehensive evaluation of cranial shape abnormalities, including Deformational Plagiocephaly and Craniosynostosis. The funding will be disbursed in two phases contingent meeting milestones, with Phase I of it ($252,000) being available effective immediately.The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Fast Track Program was created to provide grants to accelerate the transition from development stage to commercialization of innovative technologies that improve human health and advance the mission of the NIH. The program also aims to foster partnerships among a variety of R&D collaborators working toward these goals. To this end, PediaMetrix has partnered for this project with the Children’s National Hospital’s in Washington DC.Led by Dr. Fereshteh Aalamifar, founder and Chief Executive Officer, and Reza Seifabadi, Ph.D., co-founder and COO, PediaMetrix aims to provide AI and computer vision solutions to critical pediatric needs with lower healthcare costs and improve outcomes. Its lead product, SoftSpot, enables early detection and management of the most common conditions with head shape abnormalities in newborns. PediaMetrix currently has 17 full-time, part-time employees and contractors and is expanding its R&D and sales and marketing team. The company has launched SoftSpot in the US market after receiving FDA clearance in October 2021. SoftSpot has been used in many practices in the US to successfully evaluate hundreds of patients.Current version of SoftSpot uses computer vision and AI to provide pediatricians and parents with a tool for early detection and monitoring of Deformational Plagiocephaly, Brachycephaly and Schaphocephaly. 29/08/2022
