An Alzheimer’s device firm has raised US$105m to support authorisation and launch plans for a treatment that uses light and sound.
Called Spectris, the investigational device looks like a pair of sunglasses attached to headphones.
It delivers light and sound intended to trigger gamma oscillations, a type of brain activity involved in sensory processing, thinking and memory that is disrupted in people with Alzheimer’s.
Research in mice suggests evoking these oscillations can counter neurodegeneration, the gradual loss of nerve cells, and improve learning and memory.
In clinical trials, patients wore the device for one hour a day and were advised to minimise movement and stay awake, using a controller wired to the headset to adjust the intensity of the audio and visual stimulation.
A small clinical trial found the device was no better than sham therapy, a dummy treatment used for comparison, on a combined measure of mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s symptoms.
However, secondary endpoints showed signs of efficacy, with preliminary evidence of reduced cognitive and functional decline and less brain atrophy, or brain shrinkage, after six months of treatment, although the trial was not statistically powered to assess potential efficacy outcomes.
No reduction in amyloid plaques, the protein build-ups in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s, was shown.
Cognito Therapeutics has since started enrolling about 670 patients in a larger pivotal study, with data expected this year.
The US Food and Drug Administration granted breakthrough status to the device in 2021, potentially making it eligible for the transitional coverage for emerging technologies pathway.
If authorised, the device would be prescribed by physicians and used by patients at home.
The Series C round was led by Morningside Ventures, IAG Capital Partners and Starbloom Capital, with support from new investors including New Vintage, Apollo Health Ventures and Benvolio Group. The company said it aims to launch the device next year.
