‘Star Trek’ Style Muscle-Healing Light Pod Wins Innovation of the Year

Building on success partnering with Harvard Medical School, UK and U.S. Military forces, and English Premier League soccer teams, THOR Photomedicine Ltd unveiled their new sport and exercise recovery product—the NovoTHOR Whole Body Light Pod—at the 2016 Elite Sports Rehabilitation Expo on June 16th, winning their Innovation of the Year award.
 
Developed to improve athletic performance, the NovoTHOR uses Photobiomodulation (PBM), a technique studied in thousands of experiments, hundreds of clinical trials, and used in thousands of medical clinics and hospitals worldwide. PBM can help relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and stimulate tissue repair.


 
Historically, PBM devices have been hand-held, used to treat one muscle at a time. NovoTHOR delivers treatment to the entire body at once, making it a unique option for sports teams and exercise enthusiasts looking to improve performance while saving time.
 
In a presentation to the United Nations, THOR founder & CEO James Carroll described PBM treatment as being “like something from Star Trek…when somebody gets injured, they are taken to sick bay. The doctor gets out a laser beam, he aims it at the injury, and the patient is healed instantly. Well, we make those. It is not as instant as on TV, but you get the idea, you shine light on an injury and it heals more quickly.”
 
Because PBM affects a fundamental aspect of cellular function, the range of diseases and injuries it could impact is potentially very wide. Light sensitive proteins in mitochondria (the powerhouse of every cell) can be stimulated by certain wavelengths and intensities of light. The cause of oxidative stress goes away, ATP is elevated, and patients get better more quickly. THOR have collaborated with Harvard on research into pathologies as diverse as Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), cancer therapy side effects (Oral Mucositis), noise induced hearing loss, and TMJ disfunction. James Carroll highlighted the potential global impact, claiming “Photobiomodulation has the potential to be in every department of every hospital and become part of standard care for many pathologies. Doctors just have to stop for a minute and think how many injuries and diseases would benefit from a bit less oxidative stress and a bit more ATP. I think this is going to play an important role in global health.”