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Cached from Rochester NY's Democrat & Chronicle - May 21, 2003
"Kodak's eureka! helps hyperactivity research"Democrat and Chronicle - (May 21, 2003) Every so often in a scientist's career, a research project comes along that produces an odd or unexpected result. It's then that he knows he may be onto something big. Richard Blazey of Eastman Kodak Co. found himself in that spot as he began studying the potential of images to help treat psychiatric disorders, such as depression. The senior research associate was looking at the physical responses of 72 adults who had been purposely deprived of pictures, sounds and other distractions. He suddenly spied a piece of data that seemed strange. One subject, a man, was showing different temperature readings in his fingertips than his fellow subjects. It soon became apparent why: The man had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. That discovery led Kodak to open a new line of research, which concludes today in a unique business transaction that could have a dramatic influence on the lives of millions. Rochester's largest employer will announce this morning that it has donated nine patents aimed at a tool for diagnosing and treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, a neurobehavioral condition that affects up to 12 percent of U.S. school children and up to 10 million adults. Kodak is giving the patents, referred to as ADHD Rapid Check technology, to McLean Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School and the acknowledged pioneer in ADHD research. McLean will assume all responsibility for follow-up research studies and receive all revenue if the technology leads to a commercial product. Kodak is also providing McLean with a grant. Kodak made the decision to donate the patents because it is not experienced in developing medical tests, which would have required expensive rounds of FDA-mandated follow-up studies, company officials said. As envisioned, Kodak's patents could lead to an ADHD test built around Blazey's discovery. According to Kodak's research, individuals with ADHD show a statistically significant difference in finger temperatures when deprived of anything to look at or listen to for 10 minutes. The technology was 84 percent accurate in diagnosing ADHD in a small Kodak-sponsored study conducted about two years ago, involving 32 youngsters. Kodak also sees its research as potentially useful in controlling use of Ritalin and other stimulants to manage ADHD, as well as even creating a procedure for home diagnosis. Luck and persistenceThe story of the donation is one of luck, persistence and an unusual ideal for a profit-focused company. Kodak continued funding the research even though it was apparent it wouldn't lead to a product or service, said Greg Foust, manager of innovation in Kodak's Systems Concept Center, an offshoot of Kodak's research labs. The Systems Concept Center is charged with pursuing pie-in-the-sky ideas. The ADHD research originated in a unit within the center called "Dreamcatchers," which is charged with pushing the outer limits of Kodak innovation. In research, "you tend to walk down the line, and deviation from the line is discouraged," Foust said. "We encourage people to go out and follow the trail, wherever it leads." Foust called the ADHD research "one of the most exciting discoveries" he's come across in three decades at Kodak. Current ADHD testing is very subjective and often grueling for families. It either requires a period of observation -- after which a classroom teacher or trained medical person reaches a conclusion -- or an invasive MRI exam. ADHD is frequently misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed, said David Patton, a senior research associate who worked with Blazey, statistician Paige Miller and medical consultant Dr. Peter Parks on the initial research. Kodak continues to explore whether images could be useful in treating psychiatric disorders, Foust said. The four are confident that their work will survive follow-up medical tests. They are particularly enthused by the choice of McLean and the involvement of Dr. Martin Teicher, a renowned expert in ADHD research, who will oversee work using Kodak's technology. The technology "should lead to a test that is simpler and easier to apply," said Blazey, who has since retired from Kodak. "Dr. Teicher greatly increased our confidence." McLean was chosen for the patents with the help of Donology LLC, a Cincinnati-based organization that helps companies donate their patents to research institutions. A number of candidates were chosen, but many withdrew when they heard that McLean was in the running, said Joseph Ruh, licensing director in Kodak's office of corporate commercial affairs. He declined to say whether the University of Rochester was one of those candidates. Kodak wanted to pick a research entity that had a substantial chance of creating a product that could make it to market, Ruh said. "That's the whole point of this exercise." Kodak has not donated any other patents in recent memory. How it worksKodak's research on a test for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has a long way to go before it becomes available. But the early results suggest this is how it would work in a clinical setting:
Original Story Copyright © 2004, Democrat & Chronicle, Rochester NY |