PERTH, Australia – Tali Digital Ltd. inked a licensing deal worth A$51 million (US$37.5 million) for its new digital therapeutic that could be the first line in early intervention to treat the underlying conditions of attention deficit disorders. Akili Interactive Labs Inc. will hold an ongoing license to Tali’s technology to become the exclusive commercialization partner for all pediatric cognition products in the U.S.

Opya Inc., a provider of integrated autism services, secured $15.4 million in a series A fundraising round. New investors in the round included Panoramic Ventures, Softbank’s Opportunity Fund, Disability Opportunity Fund, and Raven One Ventures. Divergent Investments and Altitude Ventures added to their existing investments in the company.

Researchers have shown that glucocorticoids, a type of steroid hormones, target both neuroplasticity-related genes and genes related to ciliary function in the brain. However, the effects on the different processes are mediated via different receptors, and in response to different stimuli. A study investigated the specific targets of glucocorticoids, giving new insights into the biological mechanisms of stress adaptations, and how they are linked to neural plasticity.

Using a minimally invasive brain implant, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research scientists produced tingling sensations in the fingers of patients who lacked the sense of touch as a result of nerve damage, according to a study published in Brain Stimulation. A second study by the team, which appeared in Frontiers in Neuroscience, used stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) electrodes to decode neural signals to improve the hand control algorithms in brain-computer interfaces.

TORONTO – Western New York Imaging Group, a one-hour drive across the U.S.-Canadian border, will soon be the site for a hard launch of Champ, a system developed by Voxneuro Inc. that evaluates suspected cognitive brain disorder or symptoms such as fatigue, memory loss or brain fog. This comes after Voxneuro won FDA registration of the cognitive platform as a class II exempt medical license, followed last month by Health Canada approval of the system for help diagnosing concussion, traumatic brain injury and dementia.

A less controversial option than aducanumab may be available soon to help individuals with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease-related dementia. Researchers at the Medical University of Vienna and the University of Toronto have developed a technique using ultrasound that reverses cognitive decline and they say it could be available for clinical use shortly.

PERTH, Australia – Bioinformatic and cell technology company Genieus Genomics Ltd. is using the power of the human genome to build a platform for neurodegenerative diseases to develop diagnostic tests for personalized medicines.

The digital therapeutics market has seen an explosion of innovative products and interested investors. Regulators, too, have acknowledged their potential to improve outcomes in patients with chronic or debilitating conditions – often at lower cost and with less side effects than traditional drug therapies. To that end, the FDA has granted breakthrough device designation to Swing Therapeutics Inc. for its prescription digital therapeutic for the management of fibromyalgia.