SpeechVive Inc. announced Thursday (Nov. 19) it is making its remote calibration software and training available free during the COVID-19 global health crisis. The software and training are available to all speech-language pathologists and their patients, as well as Veterans Affairs medical centers and veterans with Parkinson’s disease.

Jessica Huber, a professor of speech, language, and hearing sciences and associate dean for research in Purdue University’s College of Health and Human Sciences, decided to investigate the use of remote technology to calibrate the SpeechVive, an ear-worn device that provides immediate speech volume and clarity improvement for people with Parkinson’s disease. Huber wanted to find a way to serve patients in rural and remote areas. 

“We would get calls from people in rural communities who had to travel over two hours each way to find a qualified clinician,” Huber said. “I wanted to make communication more accessible.”

Ashleigh Lambert, vice president of clinical development and co-principal investigator for the telehealth trial, said, “In no way was a pandemic a reason we ever considered for use of our telehealth platform.”

The remote calibration software platform was developed and studied with funding from a National Institutes of Health small business innovation and research grant. Huber’s Purdue Motor Speech Lab studied the use of calibrating the SpeechVive remotely as compared to programming the device in-person.

The research showed that remote calibration is just as effective as in-person device programming sessions.

SpeechVive now partners with speech-language pathologists and neurologists to provide training and remote device programming for people with Parkinson’s disease.

 “We’ve found that many people with Parkinson’s disease have delayed intervention for their speech during COVID-19 because the clinics are closed or have limited capacity to see patients as a social-distancing precaution,” Lambert said. “We’re providing our software platform free-of-charge to clinicians and customers to access SpeechVive from their homes. We believe communication is more important now than ever for people with Parkinson’s, and we are part of the solution.”

SpeechVive is an Indiana startup company based on Huber’s research. The company has developed a wearable medical device to improve the speech clarity of people with Parkinson’s.

“The SpeechVive device, which fits behind the patient’s ear, detects when a patient is speaking and elicits louder and clearer speech through an involuntary reflex known as the Lombard Effect,” said Huber, inventor and co-founder. “Approximately 89% of people with Parkinson’s disease will have speech issues. Access to SpeechVive for those patients will make a significant improvement in their quality of life.” 

A lengthy investigation by the Indiana State Police, with assistance from the South Bend Police Strategic Focus Unit, culminated with search warrants and the arrest of a South Bend, IN man on charges of dealing a narcotic drug and methamphetamine.

The Indiana State Police executed a search warrant at 207 North Dixie Way Apartment 320 Roseland, IN on the morning of November 18, 2020.

This warrant was the result of a lengthy investigation that began after the Indiana State Police received a citizen tip concerning drug dealing throughout St. Joseph County, IN.

As a result of this investigation, William Pollard, 40 of South Bend, IN was arrested preliminarily for Dealing Cocaine or a Narcotic Drug, Dealing Methamphetamine, Possession of Cocaine or a Narcotic Drug, and Possession of Methamphetamine.

Troopers located two handguns, numerous items associated with drug dealing and distribution, United States Currency, and plastic bags containing suspected heroin.

Pollard was transported to the St. Joseph County Jail following his arrest.

Citizens can report suspected drug activity by calling the Indiana State Police Bremen Post at 574-546-4900

Globally about 50 million people have been diagnosed with COVID-19, 1.2 million have died from the virus and 36.5 million have recovered, according to the World Health Organization.

People recovered from the most severe cases may face new long-term health challenges. The Mayo Clinic reports that the aftereffects of COVID-19, often caused by sepsis, include brain tissue damage that can cause strokes, bring on seizures and increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Other organs shown to have permanent damage suspected of being caused by the virus include the lungs and heart.

“The long-term health challenges arising from sepsis and other potential complications experienced by patients recovering from the severe cases of COVID-19 are devastating, but medical professionals and researchers are diligently working to reduce these cardiovascular and neurological aftereffects,” said Hyowon (Hugh) Lee, associate professor in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering. “We are beginning to understand the effects of coronaviruses, and there are many therapeutics in progress to help treat the effects of  COVID-19 and other diseases that can help patients recover today and in the future.”

Sepsis is the body’s extreme response to an infection and a life-threatening medical emergency known to cause a reaction that can damage organs and could cause organ failure.

Purdue University scientists and other researchers are building on decades of research to retool known and developing health solutions for recovering COVID-19 patients.

“Purdue is a renowned global research institution, and the treatment of neurological issues is a top priority. The available technologies we have in this field show great promise in treating brain diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, as well as brain traumas,” said Brooke Beier, vice president of the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization. “These potential treatments show great promise in helping people who have recovered from COVID-19 and who now face new health disease complications. We are always working diligently to move these treatments from the laboratory to the public.”

One of Lee’s collaborative research projects was recently published in Applied Materials and Interfaces, a magazine of the American Chemical Society. The other two Purdue scientists working in this project are Shriram Ramanathan, professor of materials engineering; and Alexander Chubykin, assistant professor of biological sciences.

The technologies developed to treat neurological and other organ damage or diseases that have been published in peer-reviewed journals include a:

• ‘Library’ of broad-spectrum coronavirus treatments in advanced stages of research that includes 48 peptidomimetic compounds designed work as inhibitors for SARS, MERS and other coronaviruses.

• Technology that could improve sepsis control in early-state treatment and endotoxin reduction. The treatment may be administered before an infection causes the body to react in an extreme response that can lead inflammation, permanent damage and potential failure of organs.
• Novel glutamate-sensing material that could provide earlier detection of neural degeneration and enable earlier treatment that could improve prognosis and outcomes.
• Group of dopamine receptor agonists that support physiological responses to treat neurological brain disorders and are shown to reverse drug-induced and age-related deficits in memory.
• New pupillary light reflex technology, shown to provide real-time, automated monitoring of neurological changes due to disease, provides a noninvasive, expedient method to diagnose neurological degeneration and provide earlier treatment. The technology is compatible with any imaging platform and eye color.
• Group of energy-efficient electrode designs that reduce power and extend the functionality of implantable neuroprosthetic devices that help people with diseases and injuries, including epilepsy, spinal cord trauma, chronic pain and other neurological issues. The technology works with existing platforms or in a stand-alone system.

Purdue scientists also are working on new technologies to address the long-term health impact on the lungs and hearts of patients who have recovered from the severe cases of COVID-19.

For information on licensing available technologies, contact the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization at otcip@prf.org.

About Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization

The Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization operates one of the most comprehensive technology transfer programs among leading research universities in the U.S. Services provided by this office support the economic development initiatives of Purdue University and benefit the university’s academic activities through commercializing, licensing and protecting Purdue intellectual property. In fiscal year 2020, the office reported 148 deals finalized with 225 technologies signed, 408 disclosures received and 180 issued U.S. patents. The office is managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, which received the 2019 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Award for Place from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. In 2020, IPWatchdog Institute ranked Purdue third nationally in startup creation and in the top 20 for patents. The Purdue Research Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation created to advance the mission of Purdue University. Contact otcip@prf.org for more information.      

The suspect who was shot and killed by law enforcement in Batesville on Monday, November 16, 2020, has now been identified as Joshua D. Evans, age 32.

Batesville Police Officers were called to Evans’ home on Bridlewood Trace Road at approximately 8:00 AM on Monday after he was reported to be acting irrationally, causing the other occupants of the home to fear for their safety. 

Officers initially arrived and removed an adult female and three children from the residence. 

While officers stood outside the garage of the residence attempting to make contact with Evans, he fired a shot at an officer. 

An officer was struck by debris from that shot and received minor injuries.

Numerous officers from multiple agencies responded to the scene. 

Evans remained barricaded inside the garage for over three hours. 

At one point, Indiana State Police Negotiators made contact with him on the phone and began speaking to him. 

At approximately 11:30, Evans fired additional shots from the garage.  Evans soon exited the garage while holding a gun.

Three troopers with the Indiana State Police SWAT Team and an officer with the Greensburg Police Department fired shots during the incident. 

Evans was struck by at least one shot.  He was provided with immediate first aid but died as a result of the injuries he sustained.

The investigation by detectives with the Indiana State Police-Versailles District is ongoing. 

An autopsy was performed yesterday in Hamilton County, Ohio. 

The results of the autopsy and the toxicology results are pending at this time.

The names of the involved officers are not being released at this time.