Alzheimer’s disease is a debilitating illness that causes memory loss and can eventually lead to the loss of speech and motor control. There are currently no cures for Alzheimer’s, but Cambridge startup Cognito has developed a wearable device that shows promising signs of slowing the progression of the disease.
Cognito announced Wednesday that it raised $73 million to conduct a clinical trial with about 500 patients across 50 clinical centers in the U.S. Led by FoundersX Ventures, the Series B round brings Cognito’s total funding to $93 million.
Cognito was founded in 2016 by Li-Huei Tsai and Ed Boyden, both of whom are professors at MIT’s Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. Cognito, which now employs 50 people, has developed a headset that produces gamma-frequency rays of light and sound stimulation to trigger brain waves and improve connections between synapses.
The device has received Breakthrough Device Designation from the FDA. A previous Phase 2 trial demonstrated that the headset slowed functional and cognitive decline while reducing brain atrophy.
“A non-drug neuromodulation intervention has the potential to better address the complex nature of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, and Cognito is well-positioned to be a leader in this new paradigm,” FoundersX Ventures founder Helen Liang said in a statement. “Cognito is a pioneer at the unique intersection of biology and technology in using neuromodulation to potentially alter the trajectory of neurodegenerative diseases, and we’re thrilled to support the advancement of this pivotal study in Alzheimer’s.”
