The EEG Dementia Index – Fast and Affordable Dementia Diagnosis

Project Information

BTD

Grant agreement ID: 888793

DOI

10.3030/888793

Project closed

EC signature date 29 November 2019

Start date 1 December 2019

End date 30 April 2020

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

BRAINTRIP LIMITED
Malta

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - BTD (The EEG Dementia Index – Fast and Affordable Dementia Diagnosis)

Reporting period: 2019-12-01 to 2020-04-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Dementia is a devastating neurodegenerative disease that causes diminished mental abilities and makes patients completely dependent on constant care and supervision. The incidence of dementia is continuously rising, and the worldwide costs for dementia care are projected to increase to around €2 trillion in 2030. Current diagnostic practice (brain scanners, CSF analysis, and clinical observation) is slow and delays the time to diagnosis by several years. Because of this, the disease progresses unhindered, later treatment becomes less effective, and patients’ diminished mental abilities prevent them from making important life decisions for themselves.

We propose a novel approach for early, fast, and affordable dementia screening based on electroencephalography (EEG). BrainTrip has developed, scientifically tested, and validated the BrainTrip Cognitive Index (BCI), an algorithm for the reliable detection of cognitive impairment, which can be the result of early-stage dementia.

Our method works best for people over 60, when the risk for early dementia starts to steeply rise. The test is completely non-invasive and simple: a minimally trained professional puts on an EEG cap, pushes the start button in an app, waits for 5 minutes, and receives the results.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Since the start of the project, BrainTrip has made important steps both in terms of business and product development. To name just a few achievements:

We were accepted into the Dutch-based accelerator Rockstart Health, which introduced us to our first business partner, the senior care organisation Sensire.

BrainTrip was also accepted into the investor-focused accelerator Fast Track Malmö, which is introducing us to potential investors on a weekly basis.

We have received a grant from Expo 2020 Dubai for our societal impact.

With the help of the EU-provided coach, BrainTrip has been able to better understand and start the CE-certification process.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

BrainTrip’s first pilot (with the elder-care facility Sensire) was planned for May 2020, however, due to the COVID-19 situation, the pilot was postponed until September at the earliest. Since our planned main first customers were elder-care organizations, which were most hard-hit by the coronavirus, we were also affected. However, BrainTrip managed to adapt: we renewed our market research efforts and are now discovering new potential early customers. We have also developed a side product to achieve early traction as soon as possible.

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