SeizeIT2 is a clinically accurate seizure detection system for people with epilepsy. This discreet wearable device monitors several biosignals to allow a more precise quantitative analysis of seizure activity, so that people with epilepsy can receive treatment optimised for their specific condition.

Origins

More than 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, making it one of the most common neurological diseases globally. Inaccurate seizure reporting causes challenges in diagnosing and treating people with epilepsy. This initiative seeks to detect seizures more comprehensively, allowing experts to further analyse the complexities of seizure events and to understand the impact on patients.

Team

SeizeIT2 unites public and private stakeholders to address an unmet patient need. This is a continuation of an ICON project, led by UCB, with partners from Universidad de Navarra, Karolinska Institutet, KU Leuven, RWTH Aachen, Universitätsklinikum Aachen, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Stockholms Läns Landsting.

The project

SeizeIT is a proof-of-concept device enabling precise, objective logging of seizures for people with epilepsy. The first prototype of this wearable allows comfortable and unobtrusive seizure monitoring outside of a hospital setting.

SeizeIT2 comprises an improvement over seizure diaries, in which patients keep a record of their own seizures. SeizeIT2 provides 70-90% accuracy, compared to the accuracy level of less than 50% that is typical for a seizure diary, and it offers an improved patient experience. Benefits of the device include its discreet, unobtrusive design and its multimodal system, which measures several clinical biosignals, such as brain activity, circulation, respiration and other parameters. Another advantage of the device is its ability to monitor seizures around the clock.

The device has been tested by more than 70 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy,, a condition affecting around 20 million people globally, and eight patients with absence epilepsy. Preparation is underway for next steps, including multi-centre clinical validation of at least 500 patients, medical certification and initiation of scalable production. The prototype’s intelligent design allows increased functionality over time, offering the opportunity to go from the initial “EEG holter monitor” to a real-time monitoring and alerting system.

Impact

The greater accuracy of seizure monitoring permitted by SeizeIT2 can benefit:

• Patients, by maximising the impact of medicines through a more accurate evaluation of their treatment response.
• Seizure drug developers and clinical researchers.
• Pharma researchers, undertaking patient stratification or seeking to shorten the duration of clinical studies.
• SeizeIT2 also holds longer term promise as a seizure alarm (SUDEP prevention) and seizure prediction tool for patients.

Why this is an EIT Health project

By allowing for accurate, 24-hour monitoring with a wearable device, the SeizeIT2 project meets the objectives of the EIT Health Focus Area of “Bringing Care Home”. By improving the precision of seizure monitoring, the device also promises improved, personalised care, in keeping with the Focus Area of “Care Pathways”.

External partners

• Kings College London
• BYTEFLIES NV
• Epione bvba
• Pilipili
• University Hospital Freiburg, Germany