12 September 2018
PureTech Health plc
PureTech's Akili Exclusively In-Licenses Additional Clinical Stage Digital Technology to Improve Cognitive Function from University of California San Francisco (UCSF)
Technology Further Builds on Akili's Leading Position in Digital Therapeutics
PureTech Health plc (LSE: PRTC) ("PureTech Health"), an advanced biopharmaceutical company developing novel medicines for dysfunctions of the Brain-Immune-Gut (BIG) Axis, is pleased to note that Akili Interactive today announced an exclusive license to a new digital technology that can potentially improve cognitive function by combining neural targeting with physical activity. The technology, which is currently being studied in multiple clinical trials, is delivered through a novel motion-capture video game experience and holds potential to improve cognitive function in patients with a wide range of medical conditions.
Eric Elenko, PhD, Chief of Research and Strategy at PureTech Health, said:
"We're pleased Akili has in-licensed this exciting new development from the Neuroscape Lab at UCSF and expanded its collaboration with Adam Gazzaley, MD, PhD, as this technology further underscores Akili's leading position in the field of digital medicine. By combining physical activity with technology that directly engages brain networks associated with cognitive control, this additional Akili technology has potential to address a wide range of conditions across neurology and psychology."
Akili's pipeline of product candidates also includes AKL-T01, which is currently under review with the United States Food and Drug Administration. AKL-T01 is designed to be prescribed by physicians as a stand-alone treatment for children and adolescents with ADHD. If approved, AKL-T01 would be the first prescription digital treatment for paediatric ADHD.
The full text announcement from Akili is as follows:
Akili Announces Exclusive Licensing Agreement for New Digital Technology Integrating Neural Systems Targeting and Physical Activity as Novel Cognitive Dysfunction Treatment Platform
Developed by leading neuroscientists at the UC San Francisco, currently in multiple clinical trials
Technology is latest in series of new potential digital treatments Akili is pursuing
BOSTON, September 12, 2018 -- Akili Interactive ("Akili" or "Company"), a leading prescription digital medicine company developing novel treatments for cognitive dysfunction and brain-related conditions, today announced an agreement with the Regents of the University of California to exclusively license new digital technology integrating neural systems that target cognitive function combined with physical activity. The technology is being studied in multiple clinical trials and holds potential to improve cognitive function in patients with a wide range of medical conditions.
The technology was developed at Neuroscape, a research centre led by Adam Gazzaley, MD, PhD, at UC San Francisco (UCSF), and is delivered through a novel motion-capture video game interface, providing an immersive and engaging experience and the ability to create personalised treatments. The technology is designed to challenge all three core aspects of cognitive control - attention, working memory, and cognitive flexibility - while participants combine cognitive tasks with physical movement.
"The cognitive benefits of physical activity have been understood for many years. The ability to generate those benefits through technology that directly engages brain networks associated with cognitive control is extremely exciting," said Adam Gazzaley, Founder & Executive Director of Neuroscape and Co-founder and Chief Scientific Advisor at Akili. "I'm eager to see where Akili's team of researchers and game creators take this important technology."
"This technology represents the type of innovation that excites us at Akili as we look to build our pipeline of novel treatments for cognitive dysfunction," said Jason Trees, Research and Development Program Lead for Akili. "We're only just beginning to scratch the surface of the full potential of digital therapeutics, and we are continuously looking for the next great innovation that bridges technology and medicine in ways we can't even imagine today."
The newly licensed technology represents the latest in a series of potential new digital medicines Akili is pursuing that directly target and activate specific neural networks in the brain to treat psychological and neurological disorders. Both through strategic licensing and internal discovery efforts, Akili actively seeks out new innovative technologies with the potential to target specific brain networks involved in cognitive function. Akili is currently evaluating several new technologies in numerous clinical studies across multiple different diseases and disorders where cognitive function is affected. These early stage programs will fuel Akili's broad pipeline of programs aimed at treating cognitive deficiency and improve symptoms associated with medical conditions across neurology and psychiatry, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), major depressive disorder (MDD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and various inflammatory diseases. Akili's lead pipeline program, AKL-T01, is currently under review with the United States Food and Drug Administration.
This licensing deal was negotiated with UCSF's Office of Technology Management within Innovation Ventures, which leads licensing and business development efforts on behalf of the university.
About Akili
Akili is a prescription digital medicine company combining scientific and clinical rigor with the ingenuity of the tech industry to reinvent medicine. Akili is pioneering the development of digital treatments with direct therapeutic activity, delivered not through a pill but through a high-quality action video game experience. Akili is advancing a broad pipeline of programs to treat cognitive deficiency and improve symptoms associated with medical conditions across neurology and psychiatry, including ADHD, MDD, ASD and various inflammatory diseases. Akili is also developing complementary and integrated clinical monitors and measurement-based care applications. The Company was founded by PureTech Health(PRTC.L) and is a founding member of the Digital Therapeutics Alliance. For more information on Akili, please visit: www.akiliinteractive.com.
About PureTech Health
PureTech Health (LSE: PRTC) is an advanced biopharmaceutical company developing novel medicines for dysfunctions of the Brain-Immune-Gut (BIG) Axis. The Company has developed deep insights into the connection between the individual components of these systems and the resulting role in many chronic diseases, which have proven resistant to established therapeutic approaches. By harnessing this emerging field of human biology, PureTech Health is developing new categories of medicines with the potential to have great impact on people with serious diseases.
PureTech Health is advancing a rich pipeline of innovative therapies across two divisions: the Affiliates division and the Internal division. Its Affiliates division includes two product candidates that have been filed with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for review and several other novel clinical and pre-clinical programmes. These affiliates are developing ground-breaking platforms and therapeutic candidates in collaboration with some of the world's leading experts.
PureTech's Internal division is advancing a pipeline fuelled by recent discoveries in lymphatics and immune cell trafficking to modulate disease in a tissue-specific manner. These programmes leverage the transport and biodistribution of various immune system components for the targeted treatment of diseases with major unmet needs, including cancers, autoimmune diseases, and neuroimmune disorders.
For more information, visit www.puretechhealth.com or connect with us on Twitter @puretechh.
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