CHANGING THE REALITY FOR STROKE SURVIVORS

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 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.

TECHNOLOGY

TECHNOLOGY

The therapies - pioneered by BrainQ’s team of experts in AI, data science, machine learning, neurology and neuroscience - are delivered through a non-invasive wearable medical device that creates a frequency-tuned, lowintensity electromagnetic field. Following the concept and development stage, its work elevated to the next level when BrainQ decided the time was right to take it into the human testing phase, which culminated in its pilot trial for ischemic stroke. “When we opened the envelope and we saw the results, we realised this was a big breakthrough. It was really astonishing, it wasn’t just the potential to expedite recovery, it was two times the effect of the normal course of recovery,” says Yotam. “We realise the potential of the stroke market right now. The vast majority of stroke care within preventative therapies is administered within the first few hours following a stroke. Only about five per cent of patients can receive this treatment, as there is a limited window of opportunity of six hours. “But if you think about it, to recover that damage you need to reverse it, so we set out to do that, as well as to increase the size of the window of opportunity. So instead of talking hours, we aim to make that into weeks. So for us, the six hours and five per cent is now two weeks and a potential of applicability of 40 per cent. “In terms of scale, this is a huge opportunity for people who have had a stroke and for us, and this is the main focus we plan to lead.” Determined to set itself apart from the many other entrants to the market, BrainQ has been eager to put its technology to the test and to independently verify its claims. “With a lot of technology, everything looks good in the first minute but does it really work? The standards are so high to get to the pre-clinical stage, and many will fail to address this,” says Yotam. “The technology may be very much attractive, but that’s not enough. Most technology therapies don’t test to the highest criteria. “BrainQ has got a safety profile, there are no related adverse effects. It is below the threshold for exposure, so the transition from pre-clinical to clinical stage is an easy one from the risk side. “It has been designed to the highest standards after so much study, we have worked with some of the very best doctors and drove ourselves hard.” Now, as the business works towards its goal of commercialisation in the US, its gaze is now looking to the future even beyond that, in changing the reality for patients living with other neurological conditions. “Can it be applied on a grander scale? The answer is yes,” says Yotam. “BrainQ believes the technology could be applied to more than stroke, and preliminary indications are that it could be effective in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, MS, spinal cord injury, and TBI. “It gives very different and almost unlimited opportunities in neuro care and we do believe this could solve many of the problems facing these different patient populations, with the ability to do this increasing all the time through our technology.” But the next crucial milestone in the grand plan is the multi-centre trial in the US, which is set for the months ahead. “We are now looking forward to kicking off the study. The plan is to make it to the US market in the coming years, so the main focus right now is with the multi-centre study,” says Yotam.