Submission
No 154
INQUIRY INTO SERVICES FOR PEOPLE WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM
DISORDER
Organisation: Compumedics Limited
Date Received: 12 April 2017
Submission S154 Page 1 of 3 Received 12/04/2017
Family and Community Development Committee
12 April 2017
Ms Maree Edwards MP
Chair
Family and Community Development
Committee
PO Box 326
Golden Square Vic 3555
Email: Maree.
Edwards@parliament.vic.gov.au
Dear Ms Maree Edwards MP,
Re: Compumedics Limited Family and Development Committee Request for Attention: Important information relevant to improving Victorian Autism services
I hope this email finds you well and I am grateful to your colleague Dr Greg Gardiner for assisting us with your contact for this introduction.
We are also grateful for your attention to our respectful request to assist and advance where possible and appropriate Victoria’s Family and Community Development of world-leading Autism services.
We understand that the Legislative Council (6 May 2015) issued to the Victorian Government’s Family and Community Development Committee (fcdc@parliament.vic.goc.au) the terms of reference to consider and report no later than 30 June 2017 on services for people with autism spectrum disorder in Victoria. In brief, these terms included but were not limited to prevalence, availability and adequacy of services, adequacy of NDIS services, evidence of shortcoming of such services, and projected demand for autism services in Victoria (précis of sections a to d) terms of said terms of reference).
Recently, Mr Colin Crotty, as part of Victorian Government’s focus on Victorian Investment, jobs growth and improving community services, brought this important Autism review initiative to our attention.
Whilst I understand that public submissions to the Committee have now concluded and that the Committee is in the process of drafting its report I wish to request the indulgence of the Committee in bringing to its attention critical information on the development and use of world leading cutting edge technology that will have a profound impact on the early intervention and treatment of Autism.
Who we are - Compumedics Limited: Compumedics Limited (ASX:CMP) is a medical device company involved in the development, manufacture and commercialisation of diagnostics technology for the sleep, brain and ultrasonic blood-flow monitoring applications.
The Company owns US based Neuroscan and Germany based DWL Elektronishe GmbH. In
conjunction with these two wholly owned subsidiaries, Compumedics has a broad international reach, including the Americas; Australia and the Asia Pacific; and Europe and the Middle East.
Compumedics/Neuroscan (headquarters based in Abbotsford, VIC Australia) produce and supply the “gold standard” multi-modality neuro-functional analysis brain analysis software.
Executive Chairman, Dr David Burton, founded Compumedics in 1987. In the same year the Company successfully designed and installed the first Australian, fully computerise Sleep Clinic at Epworth Hospital in Melbourne.
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Following this early success, Compumedics focussed on the development of products that sold into the growing international sleep clinic and home monitoring markets.
Compumedics listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in 2000 and headquarters are based in Abbotsford, VIC Australia.
Over the years Compumedics has received numerous awards and accolades including Australia’s exporter of the year, has been recognised as a Top 100 Innovator by both the Australian and German Governments, and in recent times announced one of its most significant advancements to date (ASX: Aus Govt USA 2016 Trade Mission; Deal transitions CMP into US$4B brain imaging market), whereby the Company now develops and provides the world’s leading Magneto-encephalogram (MEG) functional brain scanning systems.
Our Compumedics/Neuroscan brain analysis systems (Curry brain analysis platform) are the choice of the majority of leading neurology and neuro-psychology centres across Australia and the world, setting the standard for multi-modality brain source localisation analytics. In fact, over the last decade we have become the main software provider to the primary Magneto-encephalogram (MEG) manufacturers, world-wide.
Magneto-encephalogram (MEG): MEG is the key scanning system designed to be significantly faster for brain activation and sequencing signals, versus MRI which, even with variants such as fMRI, is still substantially slower (as it relates to temporal resolution capable of measuring brain sequencing/thinking or brain activity) when compared to MEG functional brain scanners.
Current Activities: Importantly, Compumedics/Neuroscan have entered an exclusive licence Agreement (technology, manufacture and sales rights with the Korean Research Institute of Standards and Science; KRISS), enabling us to now provide MEG brain functional scanners and for the first time fully integrated with our MEG Curry software, based on our globally established and validated Curry brain analysis systems. These new Neuroscan/Compumedics “Orion” MEG systems can fuse high density EEG, MEG and also MRI and CT data overlays in order to map out brain activity (functional brain connectivity and activation) in conjunction with metabolic and anatomical aspects, in order to achieve the earliest possible characterisation of neuro-functional disorders such as autism.
Moreover, we are in various stages of licence and collaborative research and services discussions with leading USA Autism Hospital/University services (Autism Centres of Excellence) on the subject of best of class clinical protocols capable of being deployed in the short or intermediate term in order to establish, collaborate with or contribute towards an Australian based Autism services (diagnosis; treatment; management) Centre of Excellence.
The Next Generation Compumedics/Neuroscan MEG System: The Next Generation
Compumedics/Neuroscan MEG System provides 50% greater spatial resolution and sensitivity than the encumber MEG market leader, and at least 4-5 orders of magnitude of temporal resolution (speed of brain function or cognitive measures) when compared to the current MRI, PET or other structural brain imaging systems.
These superior capabilities ultimately enable specialists to ensure earlier diagnosis, treatment and management of widespread neurological disorders including Autism, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Epilepsy and other debilitating neurological disorders resulting in improved patient outcomes, improved quality of life benefits and reduced healthcare costs.
Early diagnosis of Autism at the paediatric age of 18 months (recommended AMAA) can be achieved using the system combined with a suite of specific sensory tools allowing for tailored treatment and management.
Opportunities: The locally designed and supplied world-leading brain functional MEG scanning technology (Compumedics/Neuroscan Orion MEG system), “Gold Standard” best of class brain
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functional analytics (Compumedics/Neuroscan Curry brain analysis platform) coupled with world leading Autism management protocols and care plans enables a level of excellence and collaborative access unsurpassed world-wide and could undoubtedly be great asset to enhanced Autism care in Victoria, Australia. Naturally, we see this opportunity as a unique collaborative opportunity with Victoria’s best-of-class local University/Hospitals or other community-based Autism carer organisations.
A number of clinical and also research MEG systems are in operation and able to be fully DEMONSTRATED. The new generation best of class magnetic sensor technology fully integrated with our Curry MEG analytics (ONLY available with new Compumedics/Neuroscan Orion MEG) provides unsurpassed solutions for the best of clinical and research practices.
New clinical and research horizons and possibilities are now opened, including early detection and hence management and intervention of neuro-function disorders such as autism, dementia (including Alzheimer’s), Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, epilepsy and mild or severe TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury). This improves patient outcomes and importantly reduces healthcare costs.
Proven cloud enabled capability to enable full integration with collaborative research and clinical HIPPA (patient data security compliance). Cloud-based solutions incorporating Curry-MEG analytics capability, clinical EEG and clinical sleep capabilities are enabled. The Compumedics Nexus360 Cloud-based solutions are based on proven analytics and IT platforms used in hundreds of the world’s leading hospitals, universities and collaborative clinical and research centres.
Thank you for the opportunity of providing your Committee with the above initial information on the ground breaking changes that will have a profound impact on the diagnosis of Autism, its management, and also enable progressive research and enhanced treatment protocols in the future.
I am available at your convenience and that of the Committee to discuss and elaborate more fully on the above information and may be contacted on 8420 7300.
Yours sincerely
Dr David Burton, Ph.D. CEO, Chairman
Compumedics Limited
30-40 Flockhart St
Abbotsford
Vic. 3067, Australia
Phone - Office - +61 3 8420 7300 Facsimile - Office- +61 3 8420 7399
Hyperlink of video of Compumedics new MEG imaging system: