Jan 23, 2023

Companies are using biomarkers to diagnose and treat mental illness and other neurological disorders Mental illness is considered the silent pandemic that's been overlooked since the start of COVID. The World Health Organization  found the global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by 25% in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. But perhaps the rates of depression are also grossly exaggerated: consider that the number of people diagnosed with depression is inflated. Studies as far back as 2013, such as one from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, showed that 60% of people diagnosed with depression didn't meet the clinical criteria for such a condition. This has led to increased demand for better diagnostic tools. As it stands right now, the best way to diagnose issues like depression and anxiety is self-reported data from questionnaires like the PHQ-9 and the GAD-7, but what if you could actually measure the brain itself for signs of these diseases through specific biomarkers? And what if you could also alter the brain using those same biomarkers to treat them? That's what is starting to happen now; companies like Ellipsis Health are studying biomarkers to assess of the severity of anxiety and depression, while others like, Alto Neuroscience, are studying the brain to match the right patient with the right, and others, like Fisher Wallace, are creating wearables that treats the brain electrically to relieve depression, anxiety and insomnia. Here are some companies pioneering this space for mental health, as well as other neurological conditions and disorders like Alzheimer’s disease and amblyopia: Description: "Through our proprietary precision data science platform, we aim to cut through brain disease heterogeneity to match the right patient populations to targeted therapeutics and increase the probability of developing effective medicines. Our platform integrates multiple types of data to create Data Biopsy Signatures and Precision Phenotypes to map disease drivers to the defined patient subtypes" Founded: 2019 Last funding round: $112 million in October 2022 Investors: Polaris Partners, ARCH Venture Partners, SoftBank Vision Fund, F-Prime Capital, Alexandria Venture Investments, Invus, Surveyor Capital, Mubadala Capital Ventures, Logos Capital, Catalio Capital Management, Altitude Life Science Ventures, EXOR N.V., re.Mind Capital, Amgen, Newpath Management, Abu Dhabi Growth Fund, Waycross Ventures Founded: 2017 Last funding round:  $46 million in November 2022 Investors: The Column Group, Eventide Management Partners, Third Rock Ventures, Amgen Ventures, The Column Group, Mirae Asset, Astellas Venture Management, Michael J. Fox Foundation, Eventide, Euclidean Capital, Schroder Adveq, Eisai, Schroders Capital, Ono Venture Investment, Eventide Management Partners Description: "Cala Health is a bioelectronic medicine company transforming the standard of care for chronic disease. The company’s wearable neuromodulation therapies merge innovations in neuroscience and technology to deliver individualized peripheral nerve stimulation, and its vertically integrated commercial model is reshaping the delivery of prescription therapies" Founded: 2014 Last funding round:  $77 million in November 2021 Investors: Ascension Ventures, PEAK6 Investments, GV, Lux Capital, StartUp Health, Novartis Venture Fund, Baird Capital, Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation, Dolby Family Ventures, Ascension Ventures, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Lightstone Ventures, Triventures, LifeSci Venture Partners, dRx Capital, Action Potential Venture Capital, Innovatus Capital Partners Description: "Alzheon is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a Phase 3 program in Alzheimer’s disease and a discovery platform of small molecules for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders. We are developing these disease modifying treatments by leveraging our expertise in inhibiting protein misfolding and aggregation" Founded: 2013  Investors: National Institute on Aging, Ally Bridge Group, Scott H. Cohen Description: "MicroTransponder Inc. has developed the Paired Vagus Nerve Stimulation Platform (Paired VNS™ Platform), based on decades of neuroscience research. The Vivistim System, for treatment of post-stroke upper limb mobility issues, is the first FDA-approved system on the platform. MicroTransponder is researching ways to expand the Paired VNS platform to help patients with other chronic neurologic conditions" Founded: 2007 Last funding round: $53 million in June 2022 Investors: Action Potential Venture Capital, U.S. Venture Partners, Osage University Partners, Green Park & Golf Ventures, The Vertical Group, UT Horizon Fund, Action Potential Venture Capital, GPG Ventures Investors: Undisclosed Description: "We are developing a cloud-based platform to map brain network activity using explanatory machine learning algorithms to extract biological insights that translate into precision therapies. The therapies are delivered via an investigational non-invasive portable medical device that creates a frequency-tuned low-intensity electromagnetic field" Founded: 2016 Last funding round: $40 million in August 2021 Investors: Amir Gross, Qure Ventures, Norma Investment, Dexcel Pharma, Sailing Capital, Millhouse, Hanaco Venture Capital, Peregrine Ventures, IT-Farm, OurCrowd Description: "Harnessing the human voice as a biomarker for mental health and wellbeing along with machine learning and AI, Ellipsis Health generates a clinical-grade assessment of the severity of anxiety and depression, as well as a sub-clinical assessment of the severity of stress" Founded: 2017 Last funding round: $26 million in June 2021 Investors: Alumni Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Greycroft, Gaingels,10X Capital, City Light Capital, SJF Ventures Able Partners, What If Ventures, Time Ventures, SpringTide Ventures, Luminous Ventures Generator Ventures, Richard Socher, Gyan Kapur, Akhil Paul, Ricardo Marino, Joanne Bradford, Gary Loveman, Divesh Makan, Helmy Eltoukhy Description: "Kintsugi is the art of repairing fractures in ceramics with gold. What once was broken becomes stronger and more beautiful. We bring this philosophy to strengthening mental wellness infrustructures. So instead of falling through the cracks, more people can embrace their flaws and find beauty in their growth" Founded: 2019  Last funding round: $20 million in February 2022 Investors: Primetime Partners, AngelList Talent, National Science Foundation, Techstars, MassChallenge, Insight Partners, Alpha Edison, Acrew Capital, IT-Farm, On Deck, Darling Ventures, Primetime Partners, Side Door Ventures, Eric Yuan, Citta Capital, KidsX, Adam Grosser Description: "NeuroSigma is a Los Angeles, California-based bioelectronic medical device company developing technologies to transform medical practice and patients' lives. The company is commercializing the Monarch eTNS System, which is the first non-drug treatment for pediatric ADHD cleared by the FDA. Pipeline indications for the Monarch and NeuroSigma's TNS platform include a wide spectrum of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders, such as ADHD, drug-resistant epilepsy, and depression." Founded: 2008 Founded: 2016 Last funding round: $9 million in August 2021 Investors: Schox Patent Group, Zühlke Ventures AG, SOSV, Khosla Ventures, HAX, Global Brain Corporation, Redstone, Kirin Holdings, Schox Patent Group, SwissHealth Ventures, Daniel Andersson Description: "Blackrock Neurotech provides innovative tools and neurotech expertise to translate technology into novel, implantable clinical solutions that improve human lives. Blackrock’s precision electrode technology is at the core of many worldwide Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) innovations. Our technology has enabled BCI Pioneers to walk, talk, see, hear, and feel again." Founded: 2008 Last funding round: $10 million in May 2021 Investors: What If Ventures, Presight Capital, Peter Thiel, re.Mind Capital, WPSS.bio, Kliwla Family Office AG,  Sorenson Impact, Tim Sievers Founded: 2015 Last funding round: $6 million in December 2019 Investors: National Science Foundation, FundersClub, PJC, M Ventures, Erik Peterson, NXT Ventures, TRAC, Boston Syndicates, Innospark Ventures, Cold Start Ventures, Loup Ventures, Hartmann Capital, Fady Hannah-Shmouni, Zell Lurie Commercialization Fund, Robert Winter Description: "Our patented technology treats the brain electrically to relieve depression, anxiety and insomnia. It works by stimulating the brain to release serotonin and other neurotransmitters required for healthy mood and sleep, while also lowering cortisol and modulating the center brain regions responsible for managing the sympathetic nervous system (known as the "fight or flight" response). Most patients report symptom reduction within the first 1-2 weeks of use" Founded: 2007