BioTraceIT commercializes monitor to visualize animal pain signals

Article by Joseph Harvey
Editor of IHS Markit Animal Health (formerly Animal Pharm)
Chemweek.com

Canada’s BioTraceIT has introduced a tool that enables veterinarians and researchers to objectively visualize animal pain in real time.

The company has launched its PainTrace wearable device in the US and Canada, with a field-based sales team. The firm claims PainTrace is “a first-of-its kind objective monitoring system that detects, quantifies and tracks pain in mammals”.

Prince Edward Island-based BioTraceIT stated: “PainTrace leverages the BioTraceIT analytics application software, and offers qualitative and quantitative monitoring across companion animal care, equine and bovine care. This multi-species measurement tool will also be important for clinical researchers in pursuit of novel pain therapies and will improve efficiency in translational research.

“PainTrace measures patient responses to examinations and treatments, aiding in evaluation of healing and recovery. Additionally, PainTrace offers instantaneous real-time measurements of both acute and chronic pain. Monitoring pain over time can potentially lead to early diagnosis and improved overall health.”

Per the American Animal Hospital Association/American Association of Feline Practitioners Pain Management guidelines, pain is considered a major vital sign for animals – in addition to temperature, pulse and respiration. The company suggested pain assessment should be a routine component of every physical examination for animals – something its technology can enable.

Troy Fowler – the firm’s vice president of sales – told IHS Markit Animal Health: “Pain has long been difficult to measure in non-verbal species, despite the best efforts of clinicians to develop observational assessments. We need an improvement in this area, tests currently out there are prone to errors of over and underestimation.

”PainTrace monitors a direct biosignal that correlates to an individual’s experience of pain. It detects, quantifies and tracks acute and chronic pain.”

BioTraceIT will target sales of the technology in the equine industry, where it can detect pain at an early stage. The firm will also be aiming to secure customers that want to monitor the welfare of livestock and companion animals. BioTraceIT has an alliance with the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management, whereby it hopes to promote the benefits of its technology to thousands of experts in this field.

Another additional sales route for BioTraceIT is animal health companies that can use PainTrace for the development for analgesic compounds. Mr Fowler said the firm’s technology can optimize clinical study designs as a secondary endpoint to assess the efficacy of a drug against placebo via a limited licence deal for the duration of a particular study.