https://www.epo.org/en/news-events/press-centre/press-release/2022/452221

Parkinson’s disease detective Erin Smith (22) wins Young Inventors prize 2022

21.06.2022

in Press release

European Patent Office honours US innovator for her facial recognition app that enables earlier detection and monitoring of Parkinson's disease
The system uses artificial intelligence to detect tell-tale facial expressions that indicate the onset of Parkinson's earlier than traditional motor symptoms
The invention can predict Parkinson's disease with around 95% accuracy and other misidentified neural disorders with an accuracy of 93%.

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Munich, 21 June 2022 - The European Patent Office (EPO) today distinguished US student and scientist Erin Smith with joint first place in the inaugural Young Inventors prize. Smith has developed an AI-powered app that uses video to detect minute facial expression changes that are indicative of Parkinson's, enabling earlier diagnosis of the disease.

"Erin Smith's curiosity and determination from a very early age have enabled her to not only uncover new insight into the early symptoms of Parkinson's disease but also turn this into a practical tool for early diagnosis ," says António Campinos, President of the European Patent Office. "Through earlier intervention her invention has the potential to have a real impact on people's lives by reducing disease symptoms, and I applaud her for being one of the first recipients of the Young Inventors prize."

Erin Smith was honoured at a hybrid event watched online by a worldwide audience to announce the winners of the 2022 edition of the European Inventor Award, one of Europe's most prestigious innovation prizes. The EPO created the new Young Inventors prize under the auspices of the Award especially for innovators aged 30 and under. It offers a monetary reward to young innovators who have developed solutions that contribute to United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals and positively impact our lives. Smith was named one of two first-prize winners alongside the duo Victor Dewulf and Peter Hedley, UK-based recycling entrepreneurs. The duo and Smith will receive a cash prize of EUR 20 000.

Examining expressions

Smith has developed an app that uses facial recognition technology to analyse someone's facial expressions and detect early symptoms of Parkinson's disease or other neurological disorders. Changes in facial expressions can occur up to a decade before the loss of motor function through which the disease is traditionally diagnosed. Smith's app can predict Parkinson's with around 95% accuracy and other misidentified neural disorders with an accuracy of 93%, which opens up the possibility of early intervention.

The invention originated when Smith, then 16, was watching an early video of Michael J. Fox, who has Parkinson's disease. She noticed that when Fox smiled, he appeared emotionally distant, even if the emotion behind the smile was authentic - a symptom known as "mask face". While facial masking was already known to professionals working with neurological conditions, the changes had never been objectively quantified. Armed with a book on coding and video footage of people with Parkinson's, Smith used facial recognition software to train an artificial intelligence algorithm to show a measurable difference in facial expressions in people with and without Parkinson's for the first time.

After her results were confirmed through a large-scale clinical trial at Stanford Medical School supported by the Michael J Fox Foundation, Smith created an app to automate the process for remote users and expanded the dataset to include more gender and racial diversity. In 2019, she founded a company, FacePrint, to further develop the computer vision algorithms and web app.

"I remember the first moment where the first algorithm actually worked and that that was magical to see," says Smith. "It's incredibly exciting to see this idea I had back in high school in my kitchen, turn into a tangible technology that has the potential to create a positive impact in the world and improve the care of Parkinson's disease."

Notes to the editor

About the inventor

Erin Smith, 22, was born in Chicago, USA. In 2016, she came up with an early detection tool for Parkinson's disease and other misidentified neurological disorders. In 2018, she was awarded a USD $100 000 fellowship from the Thiel Foundation, enabling her to focus on FacePrint, which she founded as a start-up in 2019. In the same year, she started studying artificial intelligence and neuroscience at Stanford University, and is currently on a gap year, working at the University of California's Global Brain Health Institute. Her company has been recognised as the WIRED Health Startup of the Year in 2019 and she was named in the Forbes 30 under 30 list for healthcare in 2019.

About the Young Inventors prize

The European Patent Office established the Young Inventors prize in 2021 to inspire the next generation of inventors. Aimed at innovators aged 30 or below from all around the world, it recognises initiatives that use technology to contribute toward the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. This year, the tied first place winners will each receive EUR 20 000, with the runner up receiving EUR 10 000. An independent jury comprising former finalists of the European Inventor Award selects the finalists and winner. The EPO conferred the inaugural prize at the European Inventor Award virtual ceremony on 21 June. Unlike the traditional Award categories, the Young Inventors prize finalists do not need a granted European patent to be considered for the prize. Read more on the Young Inventors prize eligibility and selection criteria.

About the EPO

With 6 400 staff, the European Patent Office (EPO) is one of the largest public service institutions in Europe. Headquartered in Munich with offices in Berlin, Brussels, The Hague and Vienna, the EPO was founded with the aim of strengthening co-operation on patents in Europe. Through the EPO's centralised patent granting procedure, inventors are able to obtain high-quality patent protection in up to 44 countries, covering a market of some 700 million people. The EPO is also the world's leading authority in patent information and patent searching.