CosmoAesthetics, an Australian based innovation hub, recently announced that its external laser technology may provide benefit in the treatment of COVID-19 related inflammation.
CosmoAesthetics is an Australian based innovation hub focused on developing disruptive technologies to provide home-based health care products and services for consumers globally. The company’s mission is to become a global leader in in-clinic and at home therapy for cutting edge Low-Level Laser Technology. In partnership with scientists and physicians it is developing a portfolio of non-invasive, safe, and easy-to-use innovative solutions for the “Health at Home” market, focused on the global US$3 trillion therapeutics, medical and well-being segments.
Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) otherwise known as Photobiomodulation Therapy (PBMT) is the application of red and near infra-red light to treat injuries, improve wound and soft tissue healing, reduce inflammation, give relief for both acute and chronic pain and to promote skin repair and anti-aging. The effects of LLLT are photochemical and when applied at specific wavelengths at the correct intensity and duration, can penetrate cells and activate the mitochondria. This leads to increased adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels stimulating cellular energy production, which is critical to cellular health.
The CosmoAesthetics team, led by Dr. Mathew Jafarzadeh, has extensive domain expertise and over two decades of clinical experience in the laser therapy market. The company recently determined that that one of its products may have the potential for use as a supportive treatment in severe cases of COVID-19 pneumonia.
A recently completed case study presented supportive LLLT in a patient with severe COVID-19 pneumonia. Respiratory indices, radiological findings, oxygen requirements and patient outcomes improved over several days without the need for a ventilator, thereby justifying the need for future controlled clinical trials to evaluate the effects of LLLT on clinical outcomes of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.
CosmoAesthetics is currently developing the world’s first external laser application technology for the treatment of inflammation such as that caused by COVID-19 and other respiratory disorders from the comfort of home. Zumlase® uses LLLT to easily treat internal organs, once marked by conventional imaging diagnostic tools such as CT-scan, MRI, radiograph or ultrasound. The treatment can then occur in the comfort of the patient’s home with the doctor able to log in and operate remotely via the smart phone app.
The case study recently appearing in the American Journal of Case Reports[1] found that four daily sessions of adjunct LLLT were beneficial in a patient with severe COVID-19 symptoms. The patient’s positive response to treatment was supported by improvements in key evaluation criteria measured before and after LLLT. Radiological findings saw improvements in the pre and post Radiographic Assessment of Lung Edema (RALE) assessment from 8 to 5. (Fig 3). Oxygen saturation levels (SpO2) increased from 93-94% to 97-100%, oxygen requirement decreased from 2-4 L/min to 1 L/min and the Pneumonia Severity Index improved from Class V to Class II.
On follow up the patient’s clinical recovery in total was 3 weeks, whereas the median time for COVID-19 is typically 6-8 weeks. [2]
Based on this report and clinical experiences of LLLT in respiratory tract diseases in humans, LLLT has been shown to be a feasible adjunct modality for the treatment of COVD-19. The use of adjunct LLLT in the early stages of severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) seen in COVID-19 patients has the potential to enhance healing and reduce the need for prolonged ventilator support and ICU stay.
LLLT continues to emerge as an alternative modality with anti-inflammatory effects on pain management, lymphedema, wound healing and musculoskeletal injuries and it has long been an effective treatment in the anti-ageing process. It stimulates healing, modulates the immune system, reduces inflammation, edema and pain and stimulates collagen production through the application of light. LLLT is non-invasive, cost effective and has no known adverse effects.
CosmoAesthetics has developed a range of innovative, non-invasive, cost effective devices with the mission of delivering LLLT technology from the comfort of the patient’s home.
[1] Scott A. Sigman, Soheila Mokmeli, Monica Monici, Mariana A. Vetrici: A 57-Year-Old African American Man with Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia Who Responded to Supportive Photobiomodulation Therapy (PBMT): First Use of PBMT in COVID-19: Am J Case Rep 2020; 21:e926779
[2] Phua J, Weng L, Ling L et al: Intensive care management of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): challenges and recommendations [published correction appears in Lancet Respir Med. 2020 May;8(5): e42]. Lancet Respir Med, 2020; 8(5): 506–17