Source: Altoida
Canton Lucerne – “Understanding your brain health should be simple,” says Altoida, a US-based biomedical startup with operations in Lucerne, Switzerland.
Altoida, a Texas-based precision neurology startup, is building the digital engine to power early Alzheimer’s disease identification and personalized brain analysis. Its medical device has the approval of both US and European medical authorities. The company has offices in Houston (HQ), Texas and Lucerne, Switzerland.
The Lucerne-based brain health digital biomarker startup has been awarded Breakthrough Designation by the FDA for its precision neurology device to predict the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. This classification accelerates the approval process for drugs and devices used to treat serious or life-threatening diseases.
Altoida uses Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Augmented Reality to detect brain changes early in the disease process, helping to accelerate early diagnosis for better clinical outcomes. The augmented reality tests are designed to feel like video games. In one, users are asked to hide three virtual items around the room they’re in, then relocate them at random. Another tasks users with learning the tools and actions needed to simulate a fire evacuation, and the third main activity has them simultaneously locate virtual tools in their environment while a dynamic sound plays intermittently. Once the tests are complete, Altoida’s AI assesses the results to score the user’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s within the next year.
The result is that medical professionals are able to detect Alzheimer’s Disease in patients 62+ years old between six and ten years prior to the onset of symptoms – and before irreversible damage occurs. Altoida has validated its platform and methodology in more than 12 peer-reviewed journal publications and in more than 200 independent studies. The product is currently being used across clinics in the US, Brazil and Europe.
Another recent success is its FDA approved drug
Altoida’s highly anticipated drug, Aducanumab (ADUHELM™), received accelerated approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 7, 2021, for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. It is the first FDA-approved treatment for Alzheimer’s to enter the market since 2003 and is the first in the monoclonal antibody therapy class.
The FDA approved drug, Aducanumab, aims to address the biological aspects of the disease by targeting and reducing beta-amyloid plaques, a neuropathological hallmark of Alzheimer’s. Past symptom-based relief, Aducanumab is intended to delay neurocognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients. With the updated label for Aducanumab, early identification of Alzheimer’s disease is crucial for patients’ eligibility to receive the drug. Regardless of the treatment method, better health outcomes are typically achieved through earlier diagnosis and earlier treatment
Other highlights include Altoida’s recent research partnership:
Altoida recently entered into a research partnership with Eisai Co., Ltd., a Japanese pharmaceutical company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Eisai’s strategic investment subsidiary, Eisai Innovation, is allocating investment monies into Altoida to further support such promising research as further confirmation of the startup’s achievement to date. In 2019, Altoida raised raised $6.3M and was awarded Switzerland’s Smarter Healthcare Booster Program for the San Francisco Area in 2020.
“The work Altoida is doing with digital biomarkers may prove to revolutionize how we approach dementias, including Alzheimer’s disease,” said Kazumasa Nagayama, Chief Strategy Officer at Eisai. This innovation helps identify patients in need of therapy earlier and enables interventions “years ahead of traditional methods.“
Read more on the topic from Altoida: