Markets & Industry
Report finds growing interest in tech for ageing well at home
Older people in the US are increasingly interested in using technology to age well and independently in their current homes and communities, A new report has revealed.
The report found that 80 per cent of older Americans currently own at least one type of tech that enables ageing at home, and over half express a high likelihood of buying and adapting more of these emerging technologies.
“From smart wearable health monitors to hearing aids to digital security, there’s a huge interest among older Americans who want to integrate these technologies into their plans to age in their homes and communities,” said Patty David, AARP vice president of consumer insights at AARP, which conducted the report in conjunction with the Consumer Technology Association (CTA).
“The market is large and will grow as more and more Americans age into the 50-plus bracket. This is projected to be a US$120bn market by 2030.”
Seven out of ten adults age 50-plus (70 per cent) said they feel very comfortable using tech to help them age in their homes and communities. A significant number of older adults are considering buying additional tech to help them in their ageing journey.
The top potential tech products for older Americans are smart health devices, with more than half of older adults considering connected medical alert devices, digital hearing aids, and blood pressure and glucose monitors as AgeTech.
The report showed that price and reliability are the top barriers to purchase for many AgeTech products, with 60 per cent of participants saying that some form of cost was a barrier to purchase, and 41 per cent saying that their concerns about reliability are a barrier to purchase.
Further, 64 per cent of adults over 50 do not feel technology today is designed with their age in mind.
“This report confirms that seniors are ready to adopt technology that help them age-in-place,” said René Quashie, vice president of digital health at CTA.
“Our focus at CTA is making sure that developers make tools easy to use through thoughtful innovation, using our consumer research and industry standards.”
The new research provides insight into the priorities of older Americans when it comes to using and adopting technology to help them age. For some, there are large gaps in the adoption of technology and the number of people who are interested.
“There are some hesitancies in adoption, including price, ease of use, and data security,” David said.
“AARP and CTA are interested in overcoming some of these challenges to enable older Americans everywhere to live the way they want.”
Insilico Medicine has agreed a US$66m deal with a Chinese biotech for half of the rights to a brain-penetrant Parkinson’s drug.
Under the agreement, the artificial intelligence-powered drug developer will take the lead on bringing the preclinical asset, dubbed ISM8969, into a phase 1 trial.
Hygtia Therapeutics will then take over for further studies and onward toward regulators and commercialisation.
Ren Feng is co-chief executive and chief scientific officer at Insilico.
Feng said: “Targeting neuroinflammation via NLRP3 represents a scientifically sound and high-potential approach to treating neurodegenerative and age-related diseases.
“However, developing a safe molecule with good blood-brain barrier penetration remains a formidable obstacle for drug developers.
“Through our generative AI platform, we have designed a molecule specifically engineered to overcome this barrier.
“We are pleased to partner with Hygtia Therapeutics.
“We believe that through our combined efforts, we can accelerate its clinical progress to address significant unmet medical needs.”
ISM8969 is an NLRP3 inhibitor.
NLRP3 is a protein involved in inflammation, and blocking it is being explored as a way to address a range of neuroinflammatory and cardiometabolic diseases. Interest in NLRP3 inhibition has increased in the past year.
Earlier this month, Eli Lilly paid US$1.2bn to acquire Ventyx Biosciences in the wake of a phase 2 study tying Ventyx’s lead NLRP3 inhibitor to improvements in Parkinson’s symptoms.
That same NLRP3 inhibitor had also been shown to cut levels of a biomarker for stroke and other serious risks by almost 80 per cent within a week in a separate mid-stage study.
Preclinical data for ISM8969 have “demonstrated the molecule’s robust efficacy, favourable safety profile and marked anti-inflammatory activity in various disease models,” said Insilico, which also noted the therapy’s “desirable blood-brain barrier penetration.”
The blood-brain barrier is the protective barrier around the brain that many drugs struggle to cross.
Insilico, which went public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange last month, said it had discovered ISM8969 via its generative chemistry engine Chemistry42.
As well as an upfront fee of US$10m, Insilico is in line for up to US$56m in milestone payments from Hygtia.
Insilico has attracted interest from pharmaceutical companies for its AI-enabled drug discovery technology, including Sanofi, Pfizer, Menarini Group and Boehringer Ingelheim.
Most recently, Lilly agreed a deal worth more than US$100m in November.
Hygtia, which was founded last August after being incubated by Fosun Pharma, said the agreement with Insilico “marks a pivotal step in our global strategy.
This partnership aligns with our strategy to expand our innovative neuroscience pipeline through high-quality assets.”
Exciva has raised US$59.4m in series B funding to support a phase 2 trial of its Alzheimer’s therapy.
The clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company is developing treatments for behavioural symptoms associated with the condition.
Neuropsychiatric symptoms such as agitation and other behavioural symptoms affect up to 90 per cent of patients with severe Alzheimer’s disease, driving caregiver burden, healthcare utilisation and reduced quality of life.
The funding will support Exciva’s phase 2 clinical trial evaluating Deraphan, the company’s lead candidate for agitation in Alzheimer’s disease.
Agitation can include restlessness, pacing, aggression and emotional distress.
The trial will be conducted across the European Union, US and Canada.
François Conquet, CEO of Exciva, said: “We are very pleased that we were able to secure funding from both existing and new investors.
“This confirms that our product is very promising.
“The new proceeds will primarily be used to finance a Phase 2 study.
“This study will investigate the therapeutic potential of Deraphan for treating agitation in patients with Alzheimer’s.
“The clinical trial will take place in Europe, the United States, and Canada.
“If the Phase 2 study results are positive, this would be a significant advance for symptomatic treatment of patients with Alzheimer’s disease.”
The financing was co-led by EQT and Gimv, with participation from Fountain Healthcare Partners, LifeArc, Carma Fund and Modi Ventures, as well as returning investors Andera Partners and LBBW.
Following the investment, EQT will be represented by Philip Scheltens as a director and Juliette Lee as an observer to the board of the company.
SciNeuro Pharmaceuticals has entered a worldwide licensing and collaboration agreement with Novartis to advance its amyloid beta-targeted antibody programme for Alzheimer’s disease.
The programme has identified de novo antibody candidates that incorporate what SciNeuro describes as its proprietary blood-brain barrier shuttle technology, designed to help drugs cross the protective barrier around the brain, and which it says offer potential differentiation from existing amyloid beta targeted agents.
Amyloid beta is a protein that forms plaques in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.
SciNeuro and Novartis will collaborate during early development. Novartis will lead all subsequent product development and commercialisation on a worldwide basis.
Min Li, founder and chief executive of SciNeuro, said: “The anti-amyloid programme represents one of SciNeuro’s key strategic R&D priorities to target neurodegenerative disease.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Novartis to continue its development, given their preeminent capabilities and commitment to next generation therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.
“This collaboration delivers an optimal synergy, combining our expertise in disease biology and early development with Novartis’ global leadership in clinical development and commercialisation.”
Under the terms of the agreement, SciNeuro will receive an upfront payment of US$165m. In addition, SciNeuro is eligible to receive research funding and potentially up to US$1.5bn in development, regulatory and commercial milestones, as well as tiered royalties.
The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2026, subject to the expiration or termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 and other customary conditions.
Robert Balohis global head of neuroscience, biomedical research at Novartis.
He said: “There is a pressing need for new and differentiated therapeutics to help alleviate suffering in devastating neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease.
“We are happy to be collaborating with SciNeuro, an organisation which has proprietary technology aiming to safely and effectively target amyloid beta and which shares our sense of urgency and commitment to this disease area.”
SciNeuro Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.
Since its founding in 2020, the company says it has built a portfolio of pipeline programmes staged from discovery to clinical development by addressing three key disease-driving mechanisms of neurodegeneration: neurovascular inflammation, proteinopathy (diseases caused by abnormal protein buildup) and immune response.
The company aims to develop disease-modifying treatment options for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and other central nervous system diseases.
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