When Raffi Rembrand’s son was diagnosed with autism at the age of 4, it was not the worst news the family received that day. The biggest blow came when their doctor said it was too late for the earliest treatments.
So for Rembrand, a chemical engineer by training, finding a way to detect autism earlier became his life’s mission.
Now, more than three decades after his son was diagnosed with autism, Rembrand has founded an Israeli company, SensPD, which he hopes will accomplish just that.
SensPD, a winner in the WeWork Creator Awards held on June 20 in Jerusalem, is developing a way to detect autism based on physiological signs. The company uses an existing device commonly used to check the hearing of newborns, but has modified it to check for sensory perception. One of the major components of autism, which affects one of every 59 children born in the U.S., is its effect on the sensory system.
“We didn’t reinvent the wheel,” says Maayan Shahar, SensPD’s CEO. “But we have altered a very known device used in all hospitals that will hopefully provide a standard screening process for all babies.”
The goal is for such a test to eventually become standard for every baby born around the world, allowing the various treatments for autism to start as soon as possible. When started very early in life, some therapies have a success rate of up to 90 percent.
“It’s been known for a long time that it’s early intervention that makes all the difference,” Shahar says.
But the standard diagnosis of autism based on a series of evaluations often comes after a children has reached the age of 3 or 4, which is too late for some treatments.
SensPD is currently preparing to start clinical trials in Israel. It hopes that if all goes well it will get regulatory approval for its device within three years.
Rembrand’s son, now 35 and living in a group home in Israel, remains an inspiration for the company.
“We want to bring this to market as soon as possible, but in the most professional way,” Shahar says. ”So that instead of being isolated, children with autism can be a productive part of society.”
