Below is a transcript of the video.
High in the mountains of the Catalan capital, Neuroelectrics is developing treatments it says could improve the lives of people with brain diseases. The group produces approximately 400 pieces of equipment, which are sold to 75 different countries around the world every year. Everything from research to production and assembly takes place here. Ana Maiques is co-founder and CEO of Neuroelectrics.
ARJUN KHARPAL: Anna, thank you so much for speaking with CNBC today. Tell me about the products you make here.
ANA MAIQUES: Our main product is a hat with up to 32 electrodes, and the innovation of our platform is that any electrode or sensor I put on my head has the potential to monitor or stimulate your brain.
KHARPAL: What applications and treatments can headbands be used for?
MAIQUES: Our main indication today is epilepsy. There are 60 million people with epilepsy in the world, one-third of whom do not respond to medication. So these patients typically undergo surgery, either a craniotomy—where we remove the part of the brain that causes the seizures—or an implanted device. So Neuroelectrics is introducing this non-invasive solution to try to reduce epileptic seizures.
According to trials conducted by Neuroelectrics and the FDA, people with epilepsy need 10 20-minute treatments a day for about eight weeks for the treatment to be effective. In the future, it is hoped that the headwear could also be used to treat depression and Alzheimer’s disease. So far, the team has conducted an open-label study of 35 people with depression.
MAIQUES: Our business and commercialization strategy is to really ensure that our therapies are approved by medical authorities and then prescribed by neurologists or psychiatrists. We are looking for a reimbursement model. So we want the health care system to pay for it.
Kapal: It’s difficult to talk about any such technology without talking about artificial intelligence.
MAIQUES: We’ve been using what’s now called artificial intelligence or machine learning or all these sophisticated tools for years. If you think about pilots, they’re not going into the airplane, they’re in the simulator, you know. So why can’t you have a brain simulator where you can actually have a digital copy of your brain. And then we can say, okay, for you, you have depression, if we gave you this treatment or this stimulation, how would your brain react? We are very excited about NeuroTwin technology. I think this will change the way we look at brain disease.
For more information about NeuroTwin technology and the research process, I spoke with Roser Sanchez-Todo, Director of Research and Development in the Brain Modeling Division.
ROSER SANCHEZ-TODO: So, at this level, what we do is try to understand the mechanisms behind the pathology so that we can model it so that we can predict how patients will respond to this treatment. Our device reads the brain’s electrical activity and also injects electrical current. So the areas we’re focusing on are those that are clearly electric. So when you have epilepsy, there is a discharge in a certain area of the brain. So we can really target and help them inject power.
KHARPAL: In terms of the headgear itself, can you walk me through how it works from the time you put it on to the end of the simulation?
Sanchez-Tondo: There were phases. First, we need to collect your data. We built this NeuroTwin. So we tried to construct replicas of the brain’s geometry and internal electrical activity. And then we send it to the patient’s tablet, or to the doctor, depending on whether you’re being stimulated at home or in the clinic, right? Then you go. You put on the head cap and maybe you need some help placing the electrode gel. You just press to start stimulating. Typically, you need to sit and relax for 20 minutes to an hour. Then you just take it out, clean it, and repeat it the next day.
I couldn’t resist trying the tiara myself. First, we measured the electrical activity recorded by these two frontal electrodes.
KAPAL: So, you’ll see these spikes on the screen occasionally. What is this response to?
SANCHEZ-TODO: These are the products of a blink of an eye.
Kapal: Are we going to try? correct. Wink, wink. We have two big spikes there.
Then we injected electricity into my brain.
SANCHEZ-TODO: So, this is the protocol where we’re going to stimulate you for 50 seconds, and you’re going to feel a little ticklish at first because we need to try the impedance where everything is well connected first. I press start. Okay, now you’re going to start to feel some intensity.
KAPAL: So, electricity went through my head. Data is currently being collected.
SANCHEZ-TODO: Actually, it’s from one electrode to another. So, it goes through all the frontal areas of your brain.
KAPAL: Yeah, I’m definitely feeling it now. Generally speaking, if this is a suitable patient, what will the end result be?
SANCHEZ-TODO: Right after the simulation, we prepare a questionnaire for the patient. Therefore, we will have measures before and after the simulation.
KHARPAL: Is there anything specific that patients need to do while wearing this device?
SANCHEZ-TORDO: So, in epilepsy, for example, sometimes what they do is they deprive the patient of sleep. Therefore, you can even record your seizures, since they are more likely to occur when you are not sleeping. But for healthy participants, or if we want to see if there’s a greater likelihood of having Parkinson’s disease, say, maybe we do a specific task because we need the brain to be in a certain state to do it predict.
So far, NASA has used Neuroelectrics’ helmets to study brain fatigue after long-haul flights, with trials at Boston Children’s Hospital showing a 44% reduction in epileptic seizures in patients. The first commercial use of the device is expected to be in people with epilepsy, but that won’t happen until full FDA approval. The target date is September 2025.
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