Case Study: Neurode Wave - changing the way ADHD is treated
Approximately one in every 20 Australians is affected by attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a developmental disorder that affects the brain's executive functioning causing impulsive behaviour, attention problems and, sometimes, hyperactivity. It is estimated that ADHD costs Australia $20.4 billion a year in lost productivity and wellbeing costs[1].
While medication is considered the first line treatment, 30 per cent of people with ADHD are drug resistant and, an even larger, 80 per cent still struggle daily with the symptoms of ADHD despite available treatment.
Additionally, many people with ADHD struggle to communicate an objective, trackable measure of their ADHD experience. The current system relies on subjective questionnaires which makes it difficult to measure quantitative improvements over time.
Neurode - reinventing the way ADHD is treated and managed
Enter Neurode, a Sydney-based company developing brain machine interfaces aiming to reinvent the way ADHD is treated and managed.
The Neurode Wave is a lightweight headset and digital companion application designed to improve executive function and cognitive performance, and to treat and monitor the symptoms of ADHD.
Founder and neuroscientist Nathalie Gouailhardou believes that the company's solution disrupts the current treatments commonly used for ADHD.
"We can use neural indicators, where we haven't had the tools previously, to facilitate this kind of monitoring," Ms Gouailhardou said. 'It's a leap forward in ADHD treatment, taking technology from the lab into people's homes where it can have direct benefit's."
Personalised treatment for ADHD
The Neurode Wave provides personalised treatment with a headset and companion app that can be used for 20 minutes a day. Unlike most treatment options, Neurode addresses both the neurological and behavioural aspects of the condition by using the headset and app simultaneously.
The headset works by using non-invasive brain stimulation to balance the underactivity often present in ADHD brains, while recording your brain to monitor progress. The app offers games to engage working memory, attention, and impulse control. After treatment patients can choose to share their progress metrics with their clinician.
Notably, Professor Michael Kohn is collaborating with Neurode on its upcoming research study. Professor Kohn is a psychiatrist with more than 30 years expertise specialising in treating ADHD and is the Director of the Department of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Westmead Hospital in Sydney.
An inter-sectional and interdisciplinary approach
"What I really like [about Neurode] is the inter-sectorial and interdisciplinary approach to solve a real problem. And I do think that Neurode is addressing a real problem as there needs to be more treatment options available for people with ADHD," Professor Kohn said.
The Neurode Wave's focus on individualised healthcare reflects a wider trend of patients looking for more personalised health solutions.
MTPConnect's Sector Competitiveness Plans (2016; 2018; 2019; 2020) consistently highlight precision healthcare as a key megatrend for Australia's MTP sector, alongside factors including the 'digital evolution', which emphasises the impact that digital enablement has in driving advancement in areas like precision healthcare; and 'consumer control', which reflects consumers becoming increasingly educated and informed decision makers, able to track their own health status and integrate wearable sensors and in-home monitoring into their health decision making.
MTPConnect's Director of Stakeholder Engagement NSW Dr Duncan Macinnis says that solutions like Neurode's provide potential benefits far beyond an individual patient.
A financial and social win for Australia
"Having safe, effective treatment for disorders like ADHD can improve the lives of countless patients and their families, as well as their experiences at school, work, and in the community, which is a financial and social win for Australia at large.
"Excitingly, it also opens the doors for what's next: if we can treat ADHD, what other disorders may benefit from this sort of treatment? How many more patients, families, and communities can benefit?" Dr Macinnis said.
The Neurode Wave is classed as a medical device and is under development, and therefore is not yet registered or approved by the relevant regulatory bodies.
The Neurode, MDPP and REDI connection
Medical Device Partnering Program (MDPP) created an Android application (app) that provides two-way Bluetooth communication and an executive function test that will connect with the Neurode Wave. MDPP's engineers worked to complement the skills of Neurode and help them achieve proof-of-concept more quickly by filling in the gaps in their organisation.
Through our REDI (Researcher Exchange and Development within Industry) initiative, the MDPP Ideas Incubator is open to clinicians, researchers, industry, and innovators from anywhere in Australia. Successful applicants receive 250 hours of technical expertise and 30 hours of market research to help advance their innovation. This may include prototyping or small-scale user trials. At completion, MDPP hands over all the IP generated, provides a Technical Report and a Product Opportunity Assessment, which may be useful in applying for further opportunities. Applications are open all year round.
The MDPP Ideas Incubator, an initiative of Flinders University, drives entrepreneurial culture within the medtech sector. The Incubator fosters collaborations between researchers, industry, end-users and government, developing novel medical devices with global market potential, and forms essential links between clinical need and knowledge with technical expertise and industry know-how.
Neurode is currently looking for collaborative partnerships with clinicians who treat ADHD, as well as people with ADHD interested in taking part in trials for the Neurode Wave. If this, is you, please email: Contact@neurode.com.au or fill out the online form: www.neurode.com.au
[1]Source: Deloitte Report: The social and economic costs of ADHD in Australia