Akili's Project:EVO Identifies Cognitive Deficits
21 September 2016
PureTech Health plc
Pilot Study Shows Akili's Medical Device Identifies Cognitive Deficits in Paediatric Population
Study published in Translational Psychiatry
PureTech Health plc ("PureTech", LSE: PRTC), a cross-disciplinary biotech company developing 21st century medicines in and at the interface of the immune, central nervous and gastro-intestinal systems, is pleased to note that a University of California San Francisco (UCSF) pilot study found that Akili's Project: EVOTM platform was able to detect cognitive deficits in a paediatric population with a genetically-based developmental delay that is linked to attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorders. Interestingly, the Akili test was able to detect deficits where the traditional computerised tests used in the study were not, highlighting the potential power of the platform as an assessment tool.
The study, which was led by UCSF researchers Dr. Joaquin Anguera and Dr. Elysa Marco and published in the 20 September issue of Translational Psychiatry, assessed children with 16p11.2 deletion, a genetic variation associated with ADHD and autism, as well as siblings without the deletion and neurotypical age-matched children. Children with the deletion had differences in proprietary Project: EVO™ measurements even though standard tests were not able to identify these differences, suggesting that the Project: EVO™ platform was able to more robustly identify and characterise selective attention abilities than traditional tests.
Daphne Zohar, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at PureTech, said: "Though this was a small pilot study, we're pleased that it was statistically significant and supports a potential use case for the Project: EVOTM platform as an assessment or monitoring tool in paediatric populations."
About Project: EVO
Akili's lead product platform, Project: EVOTM, is based on technology exclusively licensed from the lab of Dr. Adam Gazzaley at the University of California, San Francisco. The Project: EVO platform deploys proprietary assessments and intervention aimed at interference processing and cognitive control abilities, all through a mobile action video game interface. The mechanics of the platform are designed to directly target an individual's core neurological ability to process multiple streams of information, which represents a novel neurological target for Akili's intervention and monitoring products.
The platform powers two types of products. The treatment products are designed for daily at-home intervention and have the potential to improve attention, working memory and other executive functions and symptoms in patients through direct interaction with the device. The monitor product is designed for ultra-frequent (multiple times per second) assessments over time that may enable screening across neurological and psychiatric disorders. In each product, the technology automatically adapts difficulty in real-time, allowing individuals of wide-ranging ability levels to interact with the product remotely without the need for physician calibration. Akili is currently conducting multiple clinical trials of its digital medicine platform across a variety of patient populations, including paediatric ADHD, autism spectrum disorder (in collaboration with Autism Speaks), depression, Alzheimer's disease and traumatic brain injury.
About Akili Interactive Labs, Inc.
Akili is building clinically validated cognitive treatments and assessments that are delivered in an action video game interface. Leveraging medical-grade science and consumer-grade software technology, the company is seeking to produce a new type of medical product that can offer safe and effective scalable treatment and better patient monitoring for patients across a range of mental health and neurological conditions. The company was founded by PureTech Health (PRTC.L), together with leading neuroscientists and game designers. Akili has garnered investment from Shire PLC, Amgen Ventures and Merck Ventures BV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, a subsidiary of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany (known as M Ventures in the United States and Canada), and it has strategic partnerships with Pfizer Inc. and Autism Speaks.
PureTech Health plc (PRTC.L) owns 61.4% of the company as of 30 June 2016. This is calculated on a diluted basis, including issued and outstanding shares and outstanding warrants, written commitments to issue options, options to purchase shares and shares to be issued upon closing of tranched financings, but excluding unallocated shares authorised to be issued pursuant to equity incentive plans and any shares issuable upon conversion of outstanding convertible promissory notes.
About PureTech Health
PureTech Health (PureTech Health plc, PRTC.L) is a cross-disciplinary biotech company focused on areas of growing scientific and technical insights that it believes are at an important inflection point, including the immune, central nervous and gastro-intestinal systems, and the interactions and signalling between them. PureTech has approximately 20 clinical studies across its pipeline targeting multi-billion dollar market opportunities, including five human proof-of-concept studies and multiple pivotal or registration study readouts expected in the next two years. While inevitably some technologies will not advance to commercialisation, PureTech's approach mitigates risk as most of the cash resides on a PureTech parent company level, allowing PureTech to build value and divert cash to its most successful programmes as milestones are achieved. PureTech has over 220 patents and patent applications. PureTech's leading team and board, along with an advisory network of more than 60 expert founder-scientists and advisors across multiple disciplines, gives PureTech access to potentially ground-breaking science and technological innovation. With healthcare undergoing major transformation, PureTech believes it is well positioned to develop and launch medicines for the 21st century. For more information, visit www.puretechhealth.com and connect with us on Twitter.
Forward Looking Statement
This press release contains statements that are or may be forward-looking statements, including statements that relate to the company's future prospects, developments and strategies. The forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance and achievements to differ materially from current expectations, including, but not limited to, those risks and uncertainties described in the risk factors included in the regulatory filings for PureTech Health plc. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions regarding the present and future business strategies of the company and the environment in which it will operate in the future. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as at the date of this press release. Except as required by law and regulatory requirements, neither the company nor any other party intends to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Enquiries
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PureTech Allison Mead, Director, Communications and Investor Relations |
+1 617 651 3156 |
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FTI Consulting (Communications adviser to PureTech) Ben Atwell Matthew Cole |
+44 (0) 20 3727 1000 |
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