MedRhythms, a digital therapeutics company building direct stimulation solutions that use clinical-grade sensors, software, and music to help restore function lost to neurologic disease or injury, has announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment. This partnership will provide MedRhythms access to UMG’s catalog of the most diverse and culturally rich music collections ever assembled to provide prescription music to patients.
UMG’s partnership with MedRhythms began as a collaboration between UMG for Brands and Havas Health. MedRhythms’ solution uses music content curated and screened via the company’s patented process, which carefully selects and customizes interventions to each user. The process initially analyzes the content for the suitable characteristics to make it therapeutically valuable for the patients. Once this step is complete, it curates clinical interventions for each patient.
Music has been demonstrated to activate the human brain globally, including areas responsible for movement, language, attention, memory, executive function, and emotion. Specific to movement and walking, there is profound evidence that rhythm can engage the motor system to improve functional outcomes. Research supports that preferred music content increases adherence to treatment and improves therapeutic outcomes, which is why providing patients with music they enjoy is a critical component of the system and why its partnership with UMG is meaningful and important. In addition to enabling MedRhythms to deliver prescription music to patients, Universal Music Group for Brands, UMG’s global brand’s partnership team, will provide MedRhythms with resources and insights related to data analytics, cultural intelligence, and marketing.
MedRhythms and UMG are the first companies to develop an FDA-approved prescription music platform. MedRhythms is developing a patented platform of evidence-based, prescription digital therapeutics using music to address walking impairments. This platform is based on neuroscience research that shows that auditory rhythm can be used to directly target the human motor system to address walking deficits caused by neurologic injuries and diseases, including stroke, multiple sclerosis (M.S.), Parkinson’s disease (P.D.), Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive impairment, and aging-in-place.
Music has the power to transcend borders, cultures, and languages to connect people and elevate the quality of life around the world. Now, with MedRhythms, we see the power of music harnessed to heal. Our innovative collaboration with MedRhythms will enable UMG to help enhance neurologic treatment for patients across the U.S. We’ve played a central role in promoting music’s growing importance throughout the health and wellness industry—fitness, sleep, meditation—and in this pioneering alliance, we’re privileged to be engaged in extending music’s profound impact to medical therapy.
Michael Nash, UMG’s Executive Vice President of Digital Strategy
Due to positive early results in clinical trials, MR-001, MedRhythms’ flagship product intended for those living with chronic stroke walking deficits, received Breakthrough Device designation from the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) for its potential to provide a more effective treatment for life-threatening or irreversibly debilitating conditions.
This UMG partnership builds on recent announcements by MedRhythms that clinical trials are underway for MedRhythms’ assets in acute stroke at UMass Memorial Healthcare, MS at Cleveland Clinic, and a neuroimaging study at Massachusetts General Hospital, and P.D. at Boston University and a world-leading hospital.
About MedRhythms
MedRhythms, a privately held company headquartered in Portland, ME, is a digital therapeutics company that uses sensors, music, and software to build evidence-based, neurologic interventions to measure and improve walking. MedRhythms is dedicated to developing direct stimulation digital therapeutics, meaning that each therapeutic provides, via prescription music, direct stimulation to enable the mechanism of action in each relevant population. The company has an active pipeline of prescription digital therapeutics targeting rehabilitation and prevention in areas of neurologic injury and disease. The MedRhythms team has extensive experience in rehabilitation techniques utilizing music. The company has roots as a therapy services company that launched out of Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, which the U.S. News & World Report named the No. 2 ranked rehabilitation hospital in the country.
About Universal Music Group
At Universal Music Group (EURONEXT: UMG), we exist to shape culture through the power of artistry. UMG is the world leader in music-based entertainment, with a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising and audiovisual content. Featuring the most comprehensive catalogue of recordings and songs across every musical genre, UMG identifies and develops artists and produces and distributes the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music in the world. Committed to artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship, UMG fosters the development of services, platforms and business models in order to broaden artistic and commercial opportunities for our artists and create new experiences for fans.
