Digital health for dementia

The WHO estimates that around 55 million people have dementia worldwide, and each year there are nearly 10 million new cases. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form, accounting for 60-70% of cases. In 2019, the global cost of dementia was estimated to be $1.3 trillion, and projected to increase to $2.8 trillion by 2030.

In such a vast and complex area of care, digital health startups are stepping in with new early detection solutions and digital therapeutics.

Neurotrack uses cognitive assessments that follow eye movements using the camera on a computer or mobile phone to create a baseline for cognitive functions to track disease occurrence and progression. AgenT is developing the first blood diagnosis to detect Alzheimer’s disease while it’s still in the silent phase.

As the disease progresses, most will also require assistance with daily living activities. Neuroglee Therapeutics develops digital therapeutics for people with neurodegenerative diseases, with ML and biomarkers related to cognitive function, mood and behaviour used to automatically personalize virtual therapy plans for each patient. LookBack by Virtue Health and is a digital therapy platform that helps caregivers improve the health and wellness of people with dementia.

As studies have shown that early diagnosis and therapies can help prevent and ease the impact of Alzheimer's, these startups are developing important tools for ever growing, ageing populations.

Discover the digital health startups helping with dementia and Alzheimer's👇

In other news

📉 Biotechs face cash crunch after stock market ‘bloodbath’. Dozens of biotech companies are running low on cash and face an uphill struggle to raise funds after “tourist” investors who snapped up their shares during the pandemic abandoned the sector.

🚶 Stimulating spinal cord helps paralysed people to walk again. Three people once paralysed by complete spinal-cord injuries can walk, swim and pedal a bicycle thanks to a device that stimulates neurons in their spinal cords. It is the first implant specifically designed to control movement by mimicking the signals the lower body usually receives from the brain and upper spinal cord.

🔗 Interim arrangements for NHS Digital and NHSX merger are revealed.

Latest healthtech and biotech deals

The largest from last week:

🇺🇸 Dewpoint Therapeutics, focused on developing medications to treat diseases resulting from the dysregulation of biomolecular condensates, raised $150M in Series C.

🇩🇪 Ada Health, a digital health company that helps to diagnose symptoms and offer treatment advice using an AI-enabled platform, raised $30M in an extension to its Series B (total $120M).

🇬🇧 Nuclera Nucleics, a biotech company developing cutting-edge benchtop protein printing technologies, raised $42.5M in Series B.

Other notable deals from around the globe:

🇦🇺 HealthEngine, medical appointments booking platform, raised $30M in Series D.

🇬🇧 Numan, digital platform for men’s health, raised $20M in debt funding and closed a $60M Series B funding round.

🇮🇹 1000Farmacie, online pharmacy, raised $15M in Series A.

🇺🇸 Reveri Health, self-hypnosis app to relieve pain and stress, improve your sleep, and build better habits, raised $1.8M in Seed.

Read up on all the latest health deals in Dealroom.co

Tip of the week

In the Investors section, you can find the list of investors in Healthtech and Biotech startups. You can also filter by type of investor, its location, number of rounds, Dealroom’s prominence rank, portfolio size and more. For instance, here you can find the most active European VC investors in the last 12 months.

Job opportunities

Freeline Therapeutics is hiring for 10 positions for Toxicologist, Research Assistant, Clinical Project Manager, and more.

DocPlanner is hiring for 100 positions in Warsaw, Barcelona, Naples, Rome, Mexico City, and more.

Kry is hiring for 96 positions in Stockholm, Sundbyberg, and more.

Discover 112K jobs openings at healthtech and biotech startups. (login for full results)

Dive in

🎟️ With Emerge Global Health Innovation conference coming up in March, grab your tickets now, and dive into our joint report on Health & Biotech in the meantime

🎓 Healthtech & Biotech university spinouts

🗺️ Healthtech investment heatmap

🦄 New Healthtech and Biotech unicorns announced in 2021 alone.

Knowledge partners

Laura Rodriguez

Healthtech Specialist
Dealroom.co

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