TECHNOLOGY
‘We can change the reality for so many people’ Through the use of AI-powered technology, BrainQ is set to revolutionise the potential for stroke patients in their recovery from disability and lasting effects of their condition. Deborah Johnson speaks to co-founder and CEO Yotam Drechsler about the life-changing potential of its electromagnetic field therapy In just a few years from now, the potential for stroke patients to reduce and even reverse disabilities could be reality. Through the groundbreaking work of BrainQ, whose AI-powered electromagnetic field therapy is revolutionising traditional recovery prospects, the outcomes for people who have had a stroke could be unrecognisable against today’s reality. Results from its pilot trial are undeniably exciting - after receiving BrainQ therapy, 77 per cent of patients had either no symptoms or minor symptoms, with no significant disability, scoring one or even zero on the modified Rankin Scale (mRS), the gold standard for measuring global disability. Additionally, over 90 per cent of people improved by two or more mRS points through the use of BrainQ’s technology. Crucially, in addition to such impressive statistics on the reversal of disability, the window of opportunity for intervention post-stroke can be extended by BrainQ from hours into weeks. Having been awarded FDA Breakthrough Device status in the United States, a multi-centre pivotal study is now planned, ahead of FDA approval. Under current timescales, BrainQ is aiming to bring its technology to market within the next few years in the
NRTIMES
US, with roll-out across the world, including to the UK, planned for the coming years - and the potential to expand into tackling other neurological conditions also in the planning. While Israeli-based BrainQ is now one of the most eagerly-anticipated launches in neurorehab, its road to this point has been long. Inspired by co-founder and chief innovation officer Dr Yaron Segal’s son Lear, who lives with familial dysautonomia, the creation of BrainQ stems from his father’s determination to find a solution to tackle his condition at its core, not just treat his symptoms. “You need an extra reason to do something against all odds,” says CEO Yotam Drechsler, who co-founded BrainQ with Dr Segal. “Yaron was on a mission to care for his own son, and when you have such a mission, you cannot accept no for an answer. “He has been on an almost 20-year journey, but now we will be able to change the reality for so many people.” Working at the forefront of tech innovation globally, BrainQ’s therapy works by using a cloud-based platform to map brain network activity using machine learning algorithms to extract biological insights that translate into precision therapies.
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