Summary: Echolight’s REMS technology is being used by NASA to monitor bone changes in a human bedrest study, providing a radiation-free way to assess bone density and microarchitecture. The portable, fast-scanning device offers potential for use in future space missions to monitor astronaut bone health in real-time.
Key Takeaways:
- REMS technology enables radiation-free bone health monitoring through ultrasound, making it ideal for repeated scans over time.
- NASA is exploring REMS for its potential to monitor astronaut bone health during space missions, crucial for longer missions like those to the Moon and Mars.
Echolight announced that NASA is utilizing its proprietary REMS (Radiofrequency Echographic Multi Spectrometry) technology to monitor bone changes in a human bedrest study. The study will also assess the effects of unloading on bone mass, given the significance of bone health in space.
Radiation-Free Bone Health Monitoring
REMS uses an ultrasound scan of axial anatomical sites like the spine and femur to measure bone density and microarchitecture without the radiation exposure of traditional x-ray scans. This radiation-free approach enables repeated scans to monitor bone health over time, and its ability to automatically exclude artifacts common in other densitometry procedures provides a reliable diagnostic assessment.
“Echolight is pleased with this additional milestone in the US adoption of REMS devices, where the diagnostic system for the unique, personalized and patient-centered assessment of bone health has registered a very high interest among the US medical community sharing the intent to reduce fragility fractures,” said Sergio Casciaro, Echolight SpA CEO and founder.
Global Expansion and Certifications
Echolight, established in Italy and expanded to the United States in 2020, has grown its sales network to over 40 distributors and serviced hundreds of customers worldwide. The company holds certifications including UNI CEI EN ISO 13485: 2016, Quality Management System UNI EN ISO 9001: 2015, CE mark, and FDA clearance.
“Echolight technology provides a number of potential benefits for possible use during spaceflight missions including its portability (the unit is the size of a small suitcase), fast scan time of under 10 minutes, edge analytics, and the ability to scan frequently with no harmful radiation effects,” said Aenor Sawyer, director of UCSF Skeletal Health Service and of UC Space Health. NASA’s current inability to assess astronaut bone loss in real-time during spaceflight could be addressed by REMS technology, which would be critical for longer missions, such as those to the Moon and Mars.
