Startup NeuroTrack is working toward that, and now a few notable investors have joined in. NeuroTrack Technologies[1] said that it’s raised $2 million[2] in a Series A round led by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund[3] and joined by Social+Capital Partnership[4] and several angel investors.
In contrast to other companies developing blood biomarkers[5] and imaging technologies[6] for detecting Alzheimer’s, NeuroTrack is developing a computer-based cognitive test designed to detect impairments in the hippocampus[7] , one of the first areas of the brain to be affected by Alzheimer’s disease.
The test monitors the eyes of seniors as they view a series of image pairs on a computer screen. It tracks how eyes respond to novel and repeat images shown on the screen — healthy patients tend to gravitate more toward novel images, whereas patients on the trajectory for Alzheimer’s tend to look more equally at novel and familiar images.
In a five-year, NIH-sponsored study, the technique demonstrated the potential to predict cognitive decline[8] associated with Alzheimer’s disease in asymptomic seniors three to four years before the onset of symptoms, CEO Ellie Kaplan told me in a previous interview[9] . Currently, Alzheimer’s is usually identified only when problems with memory, speech or problem solving arise.
Before the test is used by doctors, though, NeuroTrack plans to work with pharmaceutical companies to help populate clinical trials for Alzheimer’s drugs. Many potential Alzheimer’s drugs have failed to demonstrate an ability to slow progression of the disease in late-stage clinical trials[10] . Some experts suspect part of the reason for that is the lack of ability to diagnose patients before symptoms set it and measure disease progression.
“Until now, trials for Alzheimer’s drugs have failed in the absence of a diagnostic test that is able to accurately identify pre-symptomatic Alzheimer’s patients,” Kaplan said in a statement[11] . ’We believe Neurotrack’s technology has the potential to jumpstart the race for the first effective medications for Alzheimer’s by dramatically reducing the risks and costs involved with clinical trials.’
NeuroTrack, which licensed the technology from Emory University[12] , formed in 2012. It went through Rock Health’s accelerator in Boston last fall[13] and won the health technologies category at the SXSW Accelerator competition this spring[14] .
Copyright 2013 MedCity News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.[15]
By Deanna Pogorelc MedCity News
Deanna Pogorelc is a Cleveland-based reporter who writes obsessively about life science startups across the country, looking to technology transfer offices, startup incubators and investment funds to see what’s next in healthcare. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ball State University and previously covered business and education for a northeast Indiana newspaper.
More posts by Author[16]
References
- ^ NeuroTrack Technologies (neurotrack.com)
- ^ said that it’s raised $2 million (www.sec.gov)
- ^ Founders Fund (www.foundersfund.com)
- ^ Social+Capital Partnership (s23p.com)
- ^ blood biomarkers (www.amarantus.com)
- ^ imaging technologies (medcitynews.com)
- ^ the hippocampus (www.alzinfo.org)
- ^ technique demonstrated the potential to predict cognitive decline (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- ^ told me in a previous interview (medcitynews.com)
- ^ failed to demonstrate an ability to slow progression of the disease in late-stage clinical trials (www.dana.org)
- ^ Kaplan said in a statement (neurotrack.com)
- ^ licensed the technology from Emory University (gtp.autm.net)
- ^ Rock Health’s accelerator in Boston last fall (medcitynews.com)
- ^ won the health technologies category at the SXSW Accelerator competition this spring (www.scmp.com)
- ^ Copyright 2013 MedCity News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. (medcitynews.com)
- ^ More posts by Author (www.medcitynews.com)
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