Brain+ completes Swedish research version of its dementia product

Brain+ completes Swedish research version of its dementia product

with the Research Institutes of Sweden and extends the collaboration
  • A Swedish language version of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy has been created in collaboration with the Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE) in the AD-Shield project.
  • This will enable further R&D work with our Swedish partner research network, including Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE), University of Gothenburg: the Department of Applied IT, Sahlgrenska Academy, and AgeCap.
  • An in-house usability study of the CST product at RISE yielded new recommendations for enhancing User Interaction (UI) design further.
  • Brain+ extended its collaboration with RISE via a key academic partner of Brain+, Associate Professor Rob Lowe, who has moved to RISE, and retains faculty status at the University of Gothenburg.
A strong Swedish partner research network

Brain+ has over the last three years entered multiple Alzheimer’s focused research and innovation projects with strong Swedish partners, including Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE), University of Gothenburg: Department of Applied IT, Sahlgrenska Academy, AgeCap. Brain+ has several innovation projects with these Swedish partners, including the Eurostars innovation project, AD-shield, funded by the European Union, Vinnova and The Innovation Fund Denmark, and the FORTE-Dementia Scoping project, funded by the Swedish Forskningsrädet för hälsa, arbetsliv och välfärd.

Simon Nielsen, Chief Science & Innovation Officer

Our Swedish research partnerships have brought us invaluable insights and momentum in our overall product development. We have been doing great R&D with our Swedish partners on our core technologies, including Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (for dementia, in the AD Shield project), Computerized Cognitive Training (for Mild Cognitive Impairment, in the ACTTDCS project), and mapping of use of digital tools in dementia in Europe (in the FORTE project).
Developing novel treatment technologies for people with Mild Cognitive Impairment

Sweden is not only a future potential neighboring market for Brain+ but is also the home of Associate Professor Rob Lowe, a key Brain+ collaborator and a leading scientist within the core methodologies of the Brain+ Computerized Cognitive Training (CCT) Technology that is targeting Alzheimer’s with Mild Cognitive Impairment. The CCT will later be a core component in the planned CST-for-MCI product for people with Mild Cognitive Impairment. 

Extension of RISE collaboration with leading expert

Brain+ has worked for 3 years with RISE in the € 1.5 million AD (Alzheimer’s Disease) Shield project. During this work, RISE helped develop a Swedish language version of the CST Therapist Companion product and completed an in-house qualitative usability study of the CST product at RISE yielded new recommendations for enhancing User Interaction (UI) design further. Recently, our key collaborator, Rob Lowe, moved to RISE, which further strengthens and extends the collaboration with RISE. Rob retains faculty status at the University of Gothenburg where he continues to work part-time. 

Read more about the R&D projects and Associate Professor, Rob Lowe

AD (Alzheimer’s) Shield project – risk factors and prevention of dementia

This 3-year innovation project began in April 2019, is led by Brain+, and has Research Institutes of Sweden, Sentian.ai (Swedish A.I. co), Aarhus University, and Aarhus University Hospital as partners. The purpose of the project has been to investigate risk evaluation and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The prevention work in the latter period of the project focused on the R&D of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy and developing efficient algorithms for analyzing data from Starry Night. The project is funded by the Danish Innovation Fund, Swedish Vinnova, and EU-Eurostars with a total budget of €1.4 million. Product relevance: the improvement of the Brain+ CST products and Starry Night analytics. 

FORTE project – digital tools for dementia 

Is a 1-year project, funded with 1 million SEK by the Forskningsrädet för hälsa, arbetsliv och välfärd (FORTE).  The project will apply a user involvement approach and will use user boards and reference groups connected to “AgeCap”: (www.agecap.gu.se). Similarly, the other partner institutions also have access to both deep expertise on dementia and user groups, including VIA University College’s Rikke Gregersen who has close collaboration with municipalities, patient organizations, the Danish Dementia Research Centre, and Brain+, who works with European Brain Council and Alzheimer Europe on several EU projects. Currently, the review phase is concluding, and findings are being documented in articles that are expected to be published in 2023.  Read more in an earlier news piece here (https://news.cision.com/brain–a-s/r/1m-sek-forte-grant-project-to-map-state-of-the-art-digital-interventions-for-dementia-begins–helpin,c3574161). Product relevance: is a detailed understanding of competitive and complementary digital solutions used today in Europe. 

ActNow innovation project

This 2-year project began in September 2021, is led by Brain+, and has Aarhus University, Aarhus Univesity Hospital, and the German software development company, Nurogames, as partners. The project aims to develop and validate the 2ndgeneration of Brain+ Computerized Cognitive Training, in the form of a novel mechanism of action for people with Mild Cognitive Impairment, based on mechanisms that utilize memory routes that are less affected in dementia. This method has proven effective for facilitating medium to high learning effects in people with Alzheimer’s disease, both in the phases of Mild Cognitive Impairment and dementia. A functional prototype has been developed, and the next step is to run a feasibility pilot in 2023. The project is funded by the Danish Innovation Fund, Swedish Vinnova, and EU-Eurostars with a total budget of €1.5 million. Product relevance: the development of a proprietary high-impact novel technology and mechanism of action, which will be a central ingredient in the planned Brain+ product for Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Associate Professor, Rob Lowe

Link to biography: 

https://scholar.google.se/citations?user=IAe7EzUAAAAJ&hl=en

The mission of Brain+ is to make effective treatments for cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s accessible to everyone as digital therapeutics.