GTX Corp GTXO, a pioneer in the field of wearable GPS human and asset tracking systems and wandering assistive technology, today announced that George Mason University’s College of Health and Human Services has received a grant from the Alzheimer’s & Related Diseases Research Award Fund to continue its machine learning wandering prediction research. Mason has selected the GTX Corp flagship GPS SmartSole and tracking technology platform to conduct the study and continued research which has the potential to quickly detect and stop episodes of wandering before they can result in a tragedy. This is the first study to link movement patterns to the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (“AD”).

In June, Mason published a study which explored the possibilities of using machine learning methods and Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) applied to data from GPS trackers to create models that can predict patterns of movement. Based on the success of the published study, Associate Professor and Director of Health Informatics at Mason’s College of Health and Human Services, Janusz Wojtusiak, Ph.D., applied for a grant in order to further the study which would be for a much larger group of enrolled participants with AD stages 3-6. The study is funded for one year, but we will continue with participants as long as possible to collect longitudinal data and, if needed, will replace the SmartSoles over a period of two to three years.

The grant was approved in July and the new study which began immediately will focus on collecting initial tracking data for people with AD using GPS trackers, along with their medical history and sociodemographic data. The data will then be used to test the feasibility of finding patterns of movement and getting lost. The participants will be located throughout Virginia and, as part of the study, a social worker will visit participants to show them how to use the GPS devices, do initial survey, help register online, etc. As part of the grant, Mason will purchase the GPS SmartSoles from GTX and GTX will provide the monitoring services.

In addition to the participants wearing the GPS SmartSoles, Professor Wojtusiak plans to integrate his system with the GTX platform utilizing the displayed maps, highlighting areas in which the models predict a person to be.

“This is so remarkable and truly innovative thinking,” stated Patrick Bertagna, GTX Corp CEO. “We began supporting Mason in 2016, with their first small and no budget study, and to see this work evolve to this degree is really impressive. Knowing that our technology continues to prove out its efficacy in what could potentially help millions of seniors afflicted with dementia is such a validation to our core mission statement. We are humbled and very proud to play a small roll in Professor Wojtusiak’s incredible forward-thinking and game-changing research.”

“The future of patient monitoring is in advanced technologies such as GTX’s SmartSole, aided by Artificial Intelligence and prediction. By combining these two technologies, we can achieve what has not been possible before. The new study is getting us one step closer to safe care for people with Alzheimer’s and understanding how wandering patterns relate to progression of the disease,” said Dr. Wojtusiak.

“According to the World Health Organization (WHO) the number of people affected will triple from 50 million to 152 million, with an estimated annual cost of $818 billion. Thispilot could produce the groundbreaking data that may have the potential to save lives and dramatically reduce the rising costs of this disease,” stated Andrew Carle, Adjunct Professor and Founding Director of the Program in Senior Housing Administration at Mason.

The research will be made available to GTX Corp, which will consider deploying the prediction algorithms into its backend monitoring platform, adding another layer of technology and overall value to the Company’s proprietary GPS tracking platform and monitoring services.

“Professor Wojtusiak’s team is doing a fantastic job combining advanced machine learning methods with our wander assistive GPS wearable technology. This research, combined with AI, could play a major role in finding solutions to complex problems derived from Alzheimer’s, dementia and autism,” stated Andrew Duncan, GTX Corp director of business development.

The patented GPS SmartSole® is a non-visible GPS tracking device designed to monitor the location of people afflicted with cognitive memory disorders such as Alzheimer’s, dementia, autism and traumatic brain injury (TBI), who have a tendency to get lost or wander.
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About George Mason University
George Mason University is Virginia’s largest and most diverse public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls 36,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the last half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity and commitment to accessibility. Learn more at http://www.gmu.edu.

About GTX Corp
GTX Corp (GTXO) is a pioneer in smart, mobile and wearable GPS tracking and recovery location-based products, supported through a proprietary IoT enterprise monitoring platform. GTX offers a global end-to-end solution of hardware, software and connectivity. GTX Corp develops two-way GPS tracking technologies, which seamlessly integrate with consumer products and enterprise applications. GTX Corp utilizes the latest in miniaturized, low power consumption GPS, Cellular, RF and BLE technology, enabling subscribers to track in real time the whereabouts of people or high value assets through a complete end-to-end, customizable transceiver module, wireless connectivity gateway, smart phone Apps, middleware, and IoT portal. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, GTX is known for its game-changing and award-winning patented GPS SmartSole® — think Dr. Scholl’s meets LoJack, the world’s first invisible wearable technology tracking device created for those at risk of wandering due to Alzheimer’s, dementia, autism and traumatic brain injury. GTX Corp’s business model is built around technology innovation and holds over 85 patents, with many issued patents in the area of GPS tracking. The company has international distributors servicing customers in over 35 countries and is a U.S. Military Government contractor. Other customers include public health authorities and municipalities, emergency and law enforcement, NGOs, private companies, public and private senior care homes, and consumers.
For more information, visit www.GTXCorp.com,Track My Workforce or www.GPSSmartSole.com

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