Therapeutic area

Spinocerebellar ataxia

Developing digital measures of movement and function in spinocerebellar ataxia, including research on early-stage disease.

Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are a group of inherited neurological disorders that progressively affect balance and coordination. Symptoms may include unsteady walking, impaired limb coordination, slurred speech, and abnormal eye movements. The age at onset, symptoms, and rate of progression vary by SCA type and individual.

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Wearable measures studied in SCA assessments

Two peer-reviewed studies found associations between sensor-derived movement measures and clinical ratings of gait, balance, and upper limb function in small SCA cohorts assessed in the clinic.

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Our research in SCA

Our SCA research focuses on two areas: evaluating wearable and digital measures across SCA types and stages, and building datasets to complement clinical assessments. Detecting subtle changes in early-stage disease is a research goal.

  • Wearable monitoring

    Digital measures for SCA research

    Studying movement and function across SCA types and stages, building on published work in gait, balance, and upper limb assessment.

  • Research datasets

    Data to complement clinical trials

    Combining structured assessments and daily-life recordings to study function beyond individual clinical visits.

Digital measures for SCA research

Our SCA program is exploring wearable and digital assessments of activity, gait, balance, upper limb movement, speech, and eye movements. Published studies used LEGSys sensors during structured clinical tasks. Daily-life monitoring and additional assessments extend this research; their validity and sensitivity in SCA require further evaluation.

  • PAMSys

    Pendant-based monitoring of activity, walking, posture, and postural transitions to study movement in daily life.

  • PAMSys Gait

    Wearable gait monitoring to study walking speed, stride characteristics, and variability during daily-life walking.

  • LEGSys

    Wearable sensors used in published SCA studies to quantify gait, balance, and upper limb movements during structured assessments.

  • PAMSys ULM

    Wrist-worn monitoring to study upper limb activity and movement patterns consistent with goal-directed use in daily life.

  • BioDigit Speech

    Standardized speech recordings and automated analysis to investigate speech characteristics associated with dysarthria in SCA.

  • Oculomotor assessments

    Guided BioDigit Video recordings for research on eye movements, including the abnormal saccades and smooth pursuit seen in SCA.

Our clinical studies in SCA

Our completed study examined movement during clinical assessments: the gait and balance analysis included 14 people with SCA and four controls, while the upper limb analysis included 17 participants. A planned longitudinal study would extend this work to repeated remote assessments and early-stage disease. Optional blood sampling at baseline supports analysis of biological biomarkers alongside the digital measures.

  • Completed

    BioDigit SCA

    Participants
    18
    Assessment period
    1 clinical visit

    For sponsors developing endpoints in SCA, see Endpoint Development

  • Planned

    Longitudinal SCA study

    Planned enrollment
    25
    Planned follow-up
    12 months
    Biological samples
    Optional blood sampling at baseline

    For sponsors developing endpoints in SCA, see Endpoint Development

Our research partners

Our SCA research brings together researchers from academic medical centers.

  • Columbia University
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • Massachusetts General Hospital

Selected publications and presentations

Advance SCA research with digital measures

Bring everyday function into SCA research. Contact our team to discuss research collaborations, study protocols and data access, or the use of digital measures in your clinical studies.

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