Presentation of Prototype Wearable

RNS Number : 9572T

Cambridge Cognition Holdings PLC

04 April 2016

 

04 April 2016

Cambridge Cognition Holdings Plc

('Cambridge Cognition' or the 'Company')

First showing of groundbreaking mental health wearable Cognition Kit™ at Neurotech Investing Conference

The neuroscience technology company Cambridge Cognition Holdings PLC (Cambridge, UK - LSE: COG) and research design experts Ctrl Group Limited (London, UK) are presenting the first prototype of a ground-breaking new software application to improve the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of mental health ahead of schedule on April 7 at the Neurotech Investing and Partnering Conference in Boston, MA.

Having reached prototype stage earlier than anticipated, the two companies are now set to form a joint venture called Cognition Kit to accelerate development of cognitive testing applications for wearable and smart devices for use in pharmaceutical research programmes and general healthcare. The Cognition Kit™ platform will enable doctors, scientists and the public to better understand and manage day-to-day brain health; empowering people to detect changes in cognitive wellbeing and take action faster.

Cognition Kit technology gathers rich physical and neurological health data during everyday life. Over time, the software learns how each individual's mood and cognitive performance varies moment-to-moment and the factors that contribute to their wellness, such as sleep, stress and physical activity.  This will create a more natural and accurate profile of a person's mental health helping people track their wellbeing, intervene if their health declines and lead fuller, more active lives.

Current methods of cognitive assessment, whether in the laboratory or in the clinic, rely on infrequent snapshots to characterise profiles of impairment, recovery and decline. Such sparse sampling of behaviour will often miss clinically significant changes, which can impact on quality of life and limit the ability to quantify the effects of neurological and medical conditions and their treatments.

Cognition Kit technology has the potential to bring high-frequency measurement to patients and provide them with tools to monitor daily variations in their cognitive health and link these to data about their lifestyle, medication and physical health.

If development plans continue positively the companies expect to commercialise the product through technology and pharmaceutical partners.

The need for more effective measures of brain health has never been greater with the World Health Organization reporting that mental ill health is now the leading cause of disability worldwide¹ and the global cost of mental illness is predicted to increase to over $6T by 2030².

New technologies, such as Cognition Kit, have the potential to transform healthcare and medical research in a wearable health industry estimated to be worth $2 billion and expected to surpass $40 billion by 2020³.

Empowering people to be able to self-manage their mental health and wellbeing can significantly improve patient outcomes^4,5,6 and has the potential to dramatically reduce global healthcare costs^7,8,9.

The development of Cognition Kit is the latest in a series of digital health innovations from Cambridge Cognition. In 2013 the Company launched CANTAB Mobile, a Class II medical device, now used to quickly and accurately measure the cognitive performance of 22,000 patients and detect the earliest signs of Alzheimer's disease.

In May 2015 Cambridge Cognition filed patent applications for a range of novel systems and methods for assessing cognitive function and symptoms of neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions, including wearable devices. The announcement of a first prototype product within 12 months of patent filing demonstrates the Company's continued commitment to expanding its healthcare business rapidly and improving mental health worldwide.

Ben Fehnert, Co-founder, Ctrl Group: "At Ctrl Group we believe that new technologies have the power to transform healthcare and research. Understanding and designing products for everyday lives are at the heart of our work and, through Cognition Kit, we will create mobile and wearable software tools to capture a much richer and realistic picture of an individual's cognitive health. Intuitive and non-intrusive software can then sensitively measure and understand precise cognitive processes in real life".

Dr Jenny Barnett, Director of Healthcare Innovation, Cambridge Cognition: "For patients with a wide range of brain health conditions, mood and cognitive performance can be an early indicator of change in their condition or response to treatment. Cognition Kit will make it easy for patients and doctors to understand how daily changes in factors like stress, sleep, and exercise affect how we feel and how well we are able to concentrate, remember and make good decisions so that we can take action earlier and better manage our own health and wellbeing."

About Ctrl Group

Ctrl Group is a team of designers, researchers, software developers and healthcare experts who work internationally with healthcare companies and providers who want to use new technology to improve people's health. We create products and services that are effective, engaging and safe.

For further information, visit www.ctrl-group.com

About Cambridge Cognition

Cambridge Cognition is a world leading provider of cognitive assessment technology, detecting the earliest signs of cognitive impairment faster, more accurately and at lower cost than other methods. The company's CANTAB^® products are validated by over 30 years of peer-reviewed research and used in pharmaceutical clinical trials to accelerate the development of safe and effective drug treatments. In addition, the company now develops and markets digital health products to monitor and maximise mental health and wellbeing throughout life. For further information, visit www.cambridgecognition.com

About Cognition Kit

Cognition Kit is a collection of digital tools that makes use of mobile & wearable devices to take research out of the lab and into the daily life measuring cognition and real-time analytics to better understand mental health with richer, more meaningful data.

Enquiries:

Cambridge Cognition Holdings plc	www.cambridgecognition.com
Steven Powell, Chief Executive Officer Noah Konig, Marketing Manager	Tel: [phone] [e-mail]
Ctrl Group Ben Fehnert, Co-owner James King, Co-owner	www.ctrl-group.com [e-mail]
finnCap Ltd (NOMAD and Joint Broker)	Tel: [phone]
Geoff Nash	(Corporate Finance)
Malar Velaigam	(Corporate Broking)
Hybridan LLP (Joint Broker)	Tel: [phone]
Claire Noyce	(Corporate Broking)

References:

¹ World Health Organization. Global status report on non-communicable diseases, 2010.

² World Health Organization. The Global Burden of Disease, 2008.

³ Soreon Research. Smart Wearable Healthcare Report, 2014.

⁴ Shively MJ, Gardetto NJ, Kodiath MF, Kelly A, Smith TL, Stepnowsky C, Maynard C, Larson CB (2013). 'Effect of patient activation on self-management in patients with heart failure'. Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, vol 28, no 1, pp 20-34.

⁵ Greene J, Hibbard J (2012). 'Why does patient activation matter? An examination of the relationships between patient activation and health-related outcomes'. Journal of General Internal Medicine, vol 27, no 5, pp 520-6.

⁶ Begum N, Donald M, Ozolins IZ, Dower J (2011). 'Hospital admissions, emergency department utilisation and patient activation for self-management among people with diabetes'. Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, vol 93, no 2, pp 260-7.

⁷ Cabassa LJ, Gomes AP, Meyreles Q, Capitelli L, Younge R, Dragatsi D, Alvarez J, Nicasio A, Druss B, Lewis-Fernández R (2013). 'Primary health care experiences of Hispanics with serious mental illness: a mixed-methods study'. Administration and Policy in Mental Health, 26 October.

⁸ Kukla M, Salyers MP, Lysaker PH (2013). 'Levels of patient activation among adults with schizophrenia: associations with hope, symptoms, medication adherence, and recovery attitudes'. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, vol 201, no 4, pp 339-44.

⁹ Druss BG, Zhao L, von Esenwein SA, Bona JR, Fricks L, Jenkins-Tucker S, Sterling E, Diclemente R, Lorig K (2010). 'The Health and Recovery Peer (HARP) program: a peer-led intervention to improve medical self-management for persons with serious mental illness'. Schizophrenia Research, vol 118, no 1-3, pp 264-70.

 

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