As we reflect on 2024, Rune Labs celebrates a year of incredible milestones. From groundbreaking partnerships and scientific presentations to patient success stories and technological advancements, we’ve made strides in empowering people with Parkinson’s (PwPD) through our StrivePD platform. Below is a summary of our key accomplishments:
Let’s take a closer look at what we achieved this year:
January: We began the year at the JPM Healthcare Conference, hosting a roundtable with industry leaders in Parkinson’s diseases. Discussions explored wearable technology, gaps in clinical trials, digital biomarkers, and FDA acceptance, providing insights into the future of Parkinson’s care.
Axios and STAT News featured our strategic $12 million investment round, bringing our total funding to $42 million. The round was led by Nexus NeuroTech Ventures, with participation from existing investors, including Eclipse, DigiTx Partners, Moment Ventures and TruVenturo GmbH.
Rune Labs was also named one of Built In San Francisco's 2024 Best Places to Work for the third year running, listed under the “50 Best Startups to Work For in San Francisco” section.
February: Our COO/CFO, Swati Reichmuth, shared her insights in Authority Magazine’s ‘'Women of the C-Suite” series, outlining five key elements for success as a senior executive.
We announced our partnership with LSVT Global - integrating LSVT Big therapy activities into StrivePD to enhance mobility tracking. This collaboration empowers users with actionable insight into their physical therapy’s impact.
Our team also featured Dennis Tinley, a caregiver and StrivePD user, who shared his inspiring journey supporting his wife’s fight against Parkinson’s disease. Read their inspiring story here.
March: Our team presented cutting-edge research at the AD/PD Advances in Science & Therapy Conference in Lisbon. Ro’ee Gilron, lead Neuroscientist, highlighted our work on long-term symptom tracking using wearables and algorithmic approaches for motor fluctuation detection. We also sponsored the Congress on Controversies in Neurology (CONy) in London, specifically a session that discussed wearables and AI technology, and how it will be superior to specialist evaluation in identifying sub-optimally treated Parkinson’s.
April: April was Parkinson’s Awareness Month, and we celebrated by sharing patient stories, including from StrivePD user and advocate, Stacee Hawkins. Stacee reflected on how tools like StrivePD and community support have helped her thrive and be more aware of her disease progression. "PD isn’t the death sentence many may think. It’s something that we can live with as long as we have the right support." Jen Zupon also shared her experience managing Parkinson’s with StrivePD, emphasizing its role in understanding her condition and symptoms.
We also partnered and launched several new partnerships with non-profit organizations in Parkinson’s, including the Brian Grant Foundation and the Davis Phinney Foundation to promote our shared goals of empowering people with Parkinson’s through data, knowledge, and educational resources for managing the disease. Our Medical Science Liaison and DNP, Amanda Hare, also sat down with the host of the podcast, Twitchy Woman, to talk about how people with Parkinson’s can use StrivePD in their daily lives to manage their disease.
To wrap up Parkinson’s Awareness Month, COO/CFO Swati Reichmuth spoke with NBC Houston KPRC about StrivePD’s role in tracking symptoms via the Apple Watch and iPhone and how it informs treatment plans. "This is the whole premise of digital health, this is the space in which we work in. It's really getting a better sense of what's happening to you as an individual with your disease outside of the doctor's office.”
May: In May, StrivePD was featured in NBC Bay Area, where Swati continued to discuss how wearable and digital technology is revolutionizing Parkinson’s care.
Our team presented findings at the Planning for Prevention of Parkinson’s: A Trial Design Forum in Boston where Lead Neuroscientist, Ro'ee Gilron, presented a poster on how we track the progression of Parkinson’s disease symptoms using consumer wearable devices.
Lead Neuroscientists, Ro’ee Gilron and Aiden Arnold, also sat down with Neurology Live to discuss our findings presented at the Alzheimer's and Parkinson’s Disease (AD/PD) in Lisbon. This study leveraged Rune Labs’ real-world dataset via StrivePD to reveal long-term trends in wearable and iPhone data from over 1000 Parkinon’s patients. By analyzing tremors, dyskinesia, mobility, and sleep patterns, we aim to revolutionize clinical trial designs and improve therapy assessments. "[We are trying to] package a lot of this information to share with clinicians so that they can better assess and tend to the patients [with PD] that are at higher risk [for events] that impact them such as falls or emergency room visits."
June: Dr. Suketu Khandhar, Medical Director for Movement Disorders at Kaiser Permanente, shared with Neurology Live why he uses StrivePD with his Parkinson's patients: "Platforms like StrivePD act as a conduit of communication between clinicians and patients because they signal to both whether a treatment is working...we can allow the patient to be their navigator, empowering individuals to be involved in their Parkinson’s journey."
Our team also participated in key conferences, including the AMDAPP Annual Meeting and ATMRD Congress in DC, as well as the GBA1 Meeting in Quebec.
July: A historic milestone was reached as the National Plan to End Parkinson’s Disease was signed into law. This groundbreaking legislation unites federal and philanthropic efforts to enhance diagnosis and treatment, ensuring essential care for American families. CEO Brian Pepin emphasized the alignment of this plan with our mission at Rune Labs, spotlighting StrivePD’s role in optimizing care and facilitating access to clinical trials for disease-modifying therapies. Brian also appeared on Fox KTVU 2 to discuss the Act’s implications. StrivePD not only supports short- and long-term outcomes but also provides access to clinical trials for disease-modifying therapies.
Swati Reichmuth, COO/CFO, also joined the Listening With Leaders podcast to discuss the importance of leading with empathy in fostering a productive work culture.
August: Brian Pepin authored an op-ed in MedCity News, advocating for the National Plan to End Parkinson’s and its potential to transform early diagnosis and care coordination. Despite advancements in understanding the disease, real-world care improvements lag, exacerbated by an aging population. The Act aims to re-allocate federal spending towards early intervention and precision medicine, leveraging new technology and AI tools like StrivePD.
We also shared the story of Anthonie, a scientist and StrivePD user, who uses the platform to manage his Parkinson’s through actionable insights into his symptoms, diet, and stress. He's also collaborating with our team and providing feedback to enhance the app for others in the Parkinson's community.
September: We announced the integration of GenAI-powered clinical reports within StrivePD, bringing a new level of care management for Parkinson’s patients and clinicians. These HIPPA-compliant reports offer automated insights derived from real-world patient data, making it easier for clinicians to address symptoms, refine treatment plans, and identify care priorities. This tool is especially critical in addressing the growing shortage of Parkinson’s specialists by streamlining the process of delivering personalized, data-informed care. This is a critical step toward addressing the care gap in Parkinson’s and enhancing quality of life. For patients, the enhanced monthly reports offer detailed insights into symptoms, medications, exercise routines, and overall disease progression. Read about the full patient report here, featuring an example report from StrivePD user and Patient Advisory Board Chairman, Benjamin Stecher.
We also announced that StrivePD received its HITRUST certification, marking a major milestone in our commitment to data privacy and security. This certification reflects Rune Labs' commitment to protecting our patients' and partners' data as we design and build data security into StrivePD from the ground up. Here at Rune Labs, protecting data is not just an afterthought—it is a priority, and the HITRUST certification helps assert that our cybersecurity program is effective in ensuring that StrivePD and its data are protected.
Late September, we traveled to Philadelphia for the MDS conference, where we hosted a unique exercise event in collaboration with a local Rock Steady Boxing and Katz JCC Group. The session welcomed PwPD and professionals from the Parkinson’s community to participate in a tailored, low-intensity workout. The program was focused on techniques essential for PwPD, such as breathing, arm strength, core stability, and even tongue and swallowing exercises. It was incredibly inspiring to see a room filled with industry experts, clinicians, and PwPD coming together to move, connect, and strengthen as a community.
October: October was filled with exciting announcements and events. We kicked off the month by announcing our collaboration with Kaiser Permanente at the MDS Conference in Philadelphia, where preliminary findings from an ongoing analysis of 138 Parkinson’s patients were presented during a poster session. Key highlights included:
These findings also received coverage in STAT News. Dr. Suketu Khandhar, Neurology Specialist at Kaiser Permanente, shared, “StrivePD allows me to approach each patient session with a much richer understanding of their disease progression. Patients feel more confident in managing their symptoms, leading to better health outcomes.” With over one million Parkinson’s patients and only 600 movement disorder specialists in the U.S., StrivePD’s continuous digital monitoring plays a vital role in bridging the care gap and improving outcomes.
Later in the month, Rune Labs was honored at the HLTH Conference in Las Vegas, winning the Digital Health Hub Foundation Award for the Home Health Diagnostic Rising Star category—for the second year in a row! We were thrilled to accept this award among other transformative companies in the healthcare space. This recognition affirms our mission to deliver data-driven, patient-centered care and continue driving innovation in precision neurology.
November: Our CEO, Brian Pepin, joined the AWS Health Podcast to discuss how real-world data can help decode neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s disease. In the podcast, Brian highlights the heterogeneity of Parkinson’s disease and how Rune Labs is tackling the limitations of the current one-size-fits-all treatment approach. He also shares how we leverage digital biomarkers to transform the lives of people with Parkinson’s.
Additionally, Amanda Hare, our Medical Liaison and DNP, interviewed with Neurology Live to discuss how StrivePD empowers patients by improving symptom management and enabling personalized care. Amanda shared how the platform helps patients identify trends and correlations in their daily experiences, leading to better disease management.
In November, we also went to Toronto for the 3rd Annual Canadian Movement Disorders Meeting, hosted by Parkinson’s Canada and the Canadian Movement Disorders Society.
December: We closed the year by attending the Parkinson Study Group (PSG) 33rd Annual Meeting in Nashville. This event brought us together with the Parkinson’s community to share updates on how StrivePD is reshaping care outcomes. It was great to engage with clinicians, researchers, and advocates, showcasing how StrivePD empowers patients to better understand and manage their symptoms, leading to improved health and well-being every day.
This year has been a testament to the power of innovation, collaboration, and patient-centered care. As we look ahead to 2025, we remain committed to transforming Parkinson’s care and empowering the community with data-driven solutions.
Thank you for being part of our journey.
Our team of engineers and scientists is looking forward to meeting you.
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