Therapeutic area

Progressive supranuclear palsy

Developing digital measures of daily function in PSP and studying their potential to support earlier diagnosis.

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a rare, progressive neurological disorder that affects balance, movement, eye movements, speech, and swallowing. Changes in thinking and behavior can also occur. Symptoms reflect damage to nerve cells in brain regions involved in movement and cognition.

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PAMSys accepted into the FDA ISTAND program for PSP trials

FDA has accepted PAMSys into the FDA ISTAND program as a drug development tool for measuring ambulation in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) clinical trials. The Letter of Intent for BioDigit Speech measures in PSP has been accepted for review.

View the qualification pathway

Our research in PSP

Our PSP research focuses on three complementary areas: evaluating digital measures of symptoms and function, exploring features that may help distinguish PSP from related disorders, and building longitudinal research datasets.

  • Digital symptom measures

    Digital measures of PSP symptoms

    Wearable recordings and digital assessments characterize movement, speech, cognition, and daily function over time.

  • Early diagnosis

    Exploring digital markers of PSP

    Studying speech and gait features that may help distinguish PSP from Parkinson's disease and related disorders.

  • Longitudinal datasets

    Longitudinal datasets for PSP research

    Repeated assessments from our PSP studies build datasets for studying daily function alongside clinical outcomes.

Digital measures of PSP symptoms

Our research combines wearable recordings and digital assessments to characterize PSP symptoms and daily function. Developed with clinical experts and informed by participant experience, these measures cover motor, speech, cognitive, and related functional domains. We evaluate their accuracy and their relationship to established clinical assessments.

  • PAMSys and PAMSys Fall

    Wearable sensors record activity and mobility, while PAMSys Fall identifies potential falls for review.

  • PAMSys ULM

    Wrist-worn sensors record upper-limb movement. Algorithms identify patterns consistent with goal-directed use during daily activities.

  • LEGSys

    Wearable sensors quantify walking parameters during structured gait assessments, including remotely supervised testing at home.

  • BioDigit Speech

    Standardized speech tasks and automated analysis characterize features of speech affected by dysarthria.

  • Cognitive and fine motor assessments

    Tablet-based cognitive tasks and fine motor tests support repeated assessment at home.

  • Oculomotor assessments

    Standardized video tasks capture visible eye movements for research into oculomotor function using BioDigit Video.

Exploring digital markers of PSP

PSP can resemble Parkinson's disease and other related disorders, particularly early in its course. We study speech and gait features that differ between these conditions and may contribute to future diagnostic tools. Their usefulness for earlier diagnosis requires further evaluation.

  • Speech analysis

    Automated analysis of speech features explores patterns that may help distinguish PSP from Parkinson's disease.

  • Wearable gait assessment

    Remotely supervised gait assessments quantify walking characteristics and examine differences between PSP and Parkinson's disease.

  • Multimodal differentiation

    Research combines speech, gait, and other digital measures to evaluate their potential contribution to differential diagnosis.

Analytical validation of our digital measures in PSP

We compare automated scores with expert ratings to evaluate measurement accuracy. Speech intelligibility findings are reported in the published Frontiers article; verbal fluency analyses remain preliminary. BioDigit PSP3 (NCT07240805) is designed to evaluate wearable measures of physical activity, gait, and upper-limb movement.

  • Speech intelligibility

    In 49 participants with PSP, BioDigit Speech intelligibility scores from standardized passage reading were compared with the mean ratings of three experts. For native speakers, r = 0.90 and ICC = 0.84; automated scores were systematically lower.

  • Verbal fluency

    In a preliminary, unpublished analysis of 41 people with PSP, categorical and phonemic fluency tasks were completed remotely on BioDigit Home and scored with BioDigit Speech. Automated word counts agreed with blinded expert scoring, with r = 0.93 to 0.97 and ICC = 0.96 to 0.98.

  • Physical activity and upper-limb function

    BioDigit PSP3 is designed to compare PAMSys, PAMSys Gait, and PAMSys ULM measures with structured motor assessments at Massachusetts General Hospital and Johns Hopkins University.

Evaluating clinical validity in PSP

Longitudinal studies examine whether digital measures reflect changes in symptoms and function over time. Research evaluates associations between speech, verbal fluency, physical activity, and clinical outcomes. Results support further validation for specific research uses, including measurement of change and exploratory prediction.

  • Speech

    A published study followed 32 native English-speaking people with probable PSP-Richardson syndrome for up to 12 months. Speech features were associated with clinical outcomes and changed over time. Within the study, machine learning models estimated concurrent and three-month clinical scores; broader predictive use requires further validation.

  • Verbal fluency

    In a preliminary, unpublished analysis of 30 participants assessed quarterly for one year, automated categorical fluency declined by an estimated 2.47 words per year, while MoCA scores showed no statistically significant change. This finding supports further study of fluency as a longitudinal measure.

  • Physical activity and ambulation

    In a preliminary, unpublished analysis from a study enrolling 44 people with probable PSP, PAMSys recorded activity for one week after quarterly visits over up to 12 months. Researchers examined change in activity and ambulation alongside PSP-QoL and CBFS scores. Preliminary findings support further evaluation of these measures against patient-reported function.

FDA qualification pathway for our digital measures in PSP

The FDA's Innovative Science and Technology Approaches for New Drugs (ISTAND) program provides a pathway for evaluating novel drug development tools. PAMSys has been accepted into the program for measuring ambulation in PSP clinical trials. The Letter of Intent for BioDigit Speech measures in PSP has been accepted for review.

  • Wearable ambulation metrics

    FDA has accepted PAMSys into the FDA ISTAND program as a drug development tool for measuring ambulation in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) clinical trials. PAMSys-derived ambulation measures support longitudinal assessment of walking during daily life.

  • Automated speech function measures

    The Letter of Intent proposes BioDigit Speech measures for native English-speaking adults with PSP. Standardized speech tasks assess articulatory precision, timing and fluency, voice quality, and prosody. The proposed tool has been accepted for review under the FDA ISTAND program.

A $3M NIH award supports digital measures in the PSP Trial Platform

A $3 million NIH award supports integrating BioSensics digital health technologies into the Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Trial Platform (PTP). The platform evaluates multiple candidate therapies under a shared protocol, with approximately 50 participating sites planned across North America.

Learn about the PTP (opens in a new tab)

Our clinical studies in PSP

Our observational studies combine digital assessments with wearable recordings. The cards show planned enrollment across each registered study. PSP2 and PSP3 statuses reflect January and June 2026 registry updates, respectively; follow the registry links for current details. The PSP3 protocol includes PSP and Lewy body conditions.

Our research partners

Our PSP research brings together academic medical centers and patient advocacy organizations.

  • Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration
  • CurePSP
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • Massachusetts General Hospital
  • University of California San Diego
  • University of California San Francisco
  • University of Hawaii
  • University of Miami
  • Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Selected publications and presentations

Advance PSP research with digital measures

Explore collaboration in PSP research. Talk with our team about study design, research data access, and the use of digital measures in clinical trials.

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