Bioelectronics Corp (BIEL)

[longtrailer]

Excerpt from a NASA comprehensive review of pain management options:
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20205008893/downloads/2020ICA_Mullenax_report_24Sep20.pdf

The treatment method ranked first in this review was pulsed
shortwave therapy (PSWT), a low-power RF (MHz range)
transmitter operated adjacent to biological tissue at maximum
output (saturation) to modulate peripheral nerve activity.
ActiPatch is a very small wearable PSWT device that is FDA
approved for “adjunctive treatment of musculoskeletal pain”
[Anwar-Deen 2020]. It is low cost, low power, and boasts 97%
efficacy in reducing pain (85% over a 6-month period) [Staelin
2019]. The device can be secured to the body by physio tape and
the area causing pain is bounded by the device’s ring. The device
can be turned on and off, and the non-rechargeable battery is capable of 720 hours of operation (one month continuous use). ActiPatch is sold OTC in local pharmacies for ~$30 [ActiPatch 2020]

Conclusions
The information obtained in the execution of this review effort leads to 2 recommendations for forward work:
1. Tie into DoD and NIH research funding efforts to improve pain treatment:
the NIH has a federal partners workgroup for their HEAL Initiative that could conceivably be joined by NASA, and the DoD CPMRP’s initial solicitation only recently completed so that program is young and potentially synergies could be identified with NASA.
2. Obtain an ActiPatch device for evaluation and determine whether it could be beneficial and adapted to spaceflight use.