Memory is the storage collection of knowledge and life experience. However, age and injury can make memories difficult. The start-up company Nia Therapeutics aims to overcome this problem with a medical device that stimulates the brain.
The memory formed in the mind generates signals that can be read. Dan Rizzuto, the founder and CEO of Nia, said that in a good memory state, the signal will appear in a certain way. Nia’s technology can read these brain signals. When the signal turns to a poor memory state, the device will provide targeted electrical stimulation to push the brain back to a good memory state.
“It’s like an orchestra, with various instruments playing together,” Rizzuto said of brain signals. “In a bad memory state, it will go out of tune. The conductor is not doing his job. By stimulating the brain at the right time and in the right place, we can adjust the pitch of the orchestra. We can bring the oscillations back to beautiful sounds in.”
Nia, headquartered in Radnor, Pennsylvania, is one of the 10 most recent startups MedCity News Precision Medicine ConferenceThe company was named the winner of the life sciences circuit.
Dong Yizhen, a partner of Global Founders Capital and one of the judges, said: “We made a decision after a long period of deliberation.” The huge market opportunity pursued.”
Nia technology originated from research at the University of Pennsylvania. The device consists of four electrical wires that are surgically implanted into the brain. The external component is the earphone worn by the patient while awake. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency awarded the University of Pennsylvania $24 million in funding, some of which was used to build prototypes. Nia’s intelligent nerve stimulation system does not require patient input. It constantly decides when to stimulate the brain and where in the brain to send the signal.
Rizzuto said that the hardware is connected to the Nia software in the cloud, where the algorithm analyzes the memory characteristics of each patient. Artificial intelligence-driven analysis leads to personalized treatment, determining the location and timing of the patient’s brain stimulation. The first sign Nia was targeting was memory loss caused by traumatic brain injury.
For more than 20 years, deep brain stimulation has been used to treat Parkinson’s disease tremor. Since then, it has found other applications for the treatment of essential tremor and epilepsy. However, the early applications of deep brain stimulation did not perform any brain perception to assess brain activity, Rizzuto said.
In 2013, Neuropace’s RNS system was approved by the FDA, and deep brain stimulation technology is moving forward, which is an implantable device that can provide electrical stimulation to treat epilepsy.Medical equipment of a company located in Mountain View, California Continuous monitoring of the brain, Learning is a normal activity for patients. Based on artificial intelligence-driven analysis, the device provides patients with appropriate stimulation to prevent seizures. Rizzuto said that Nia’s equipment follows the path pioneered by Neuropace.
“This is the same method of delivering stimulus, but it is delivered to new areas,” he said.
Nia’s medical devices will pass the FDA’s pre-market approval pathway, which requires two clinical trials, one to prove feasibility, and the other to prove safety and effectiveness. The company has already met with the FDA to review some clinical and engineering plans.
Nia has not done any animal research and has no plans to do so. Rizzuto said it is impossible to test the device on animals because they have no language memory. The memory will be tested by assessing the patient’s ability to remember the word list. Rizzuto said that the medical literature supports the use of list learning as a memory indicator in daily life.
Rizzuto said that about 18 months before Nia begins its first clinical study, the study is estimated to cost between 13 million and 15 million US dollars. The company will need to raise cash to conduct this research. To date, Nia has raised approximately US$4.4 million in funding, in addition to US$1.2 million from the Ministry of Defense contract.
Rizzuto said that he is currently raising another 4 million US dollars, which will enable the company to reach the next test milestone next year. The military is very interested in this research. The U.S. Army has awarded Nia a $1 million contract, which the start-up company will use to complete medical equipment engineering work.
“Veterans have a heavy burden of traumatic brain injury,” Rizuto said. “The most common symptom of brain injury is memory loss. There is currently no effective treatment approved by the FDA.”
Image: Swing Bar, Getty Images
