Ingrid Pretzer-Aboff, Ph.D., RN, and her team are on the doorstep of commercializing technology that will help a tough-to-treat patient population. Her research — and now her company — are focused on creating a device that will help patients with Parkinson’s disease. 

The plan: real-world impact for those struggling with what is known as freezing of gait. Freezing of gait often leads to falls or forces patients to remain homebound out of fear of falls or becoming “stuck”. 

It all follows a commitment she made at the beginning of her career. 

“I’ve worked with patients early on that looked me straight in the eyes and said, ‘Don’t give up on us,’” said Pretzer-Aboff, a professor at VCU’s School of Nursing. “I promised I wouldn’t give up. It’s ingrained in me to help people that can’t help themselves.” 

Pretzer-Aboff has spent years developing the VibeForward device, which delivers targeted vibrations to the patients’ feet and ankles. “Our research testing the vibration technology revealed that it helped the most patients with freezing of gait,” Pretzer-Aboff said.” So that’s very exciting.” 

The device itself includes a control box with a gyroscope, accelerometer and other components to customize vibration frequency and amplitude. Through her research, Pretzer-Aboff discovered an ideal “dose” for the therapy: a specific frequency and amplitude. 

Navigating the leap from research to commercialization has been a learning experience, but Pretzer-Aboff credits VCU TechTransfer and Ventures for its critical role in helping her company progress. 

“My education does not include training for navigating commercialization,” she said. “The support I received from the VCU TechTransfer has been invaluable because I would not have known what to do next.” 

TechTransfer helped Pretzer-Aboff with connections to venture capitalists and guidance on contracts, intellectual property and starting and managing a business. Grants from the Michael J. Fox Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation have also played a vital role in advancing her team’s research and preparing the device for real-world use. 

“So when a nurse or anybody in the health care arena — physical therapists, dentists, physicians, etc. have a great idea for a product, procedure, or treatment for patients, they don’t have to just dream about it,” Pretzer- Aboff said. “They can actually take that idea and work with their tech transfer office to move it forward to reality.”

As Pretzer-Aboff works to bring the VibeForward device to patients, she remains focused on the goal that started it all: 

“This is a very difficult disease to live with,” she said. “This technology is giving hope to people who deal with freezing of gait every day.”