Our Innovation Analysts recently looked into emerging technologies and up-and-coming startups working on innovative solutions for the healthcare sector. As there is a large number of startups working on a wide variety of solutions, we want to share our insights with you. This time, you will discover 5 promising startups tackling epilepsy.
Heat Map: 5 Top Startups Tackling Epilepsy
Using our StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering 1.379.000+ startups & scaleups globally, we looked at innovation in the field of healthcare. For this research, we identified 332 relevant solutions and picked 5 to showcase below. These companies were chosen based on a data-driven startup scouting approach, taking into account factors such as location, founding year, and relevance of technology, among others. Depending on your specific criteria, the top picks might look entirely different.
The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights 5 startups & scaleups developing innovative solutions to combat epilepsy. Moreover, the Heat Map reveals regions that observe a high startup activity and illustrates the geographic distribution of all 332 companies we analyzed for this specific topic.
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Epilert – Wearable Epilepsy Detection Device
Recurring seizures owing to neurological disorders make it difficult for patients to visit the hospital during an episode. Epilepsy is a treatable condition with the help of medication and requires continuous monitoring. Advances in medical device technologies, such as wearables, enable patients to monitor their epileptic episodes without rushing to the hospital. These wearable devices also transmit data back to doctors in real-time for an in-depth analysis of the seizures.
The US-based startup Epilert develops a smart bracelet to detect epileptic episodes in patients and collect data about symptoms in real-time for doctors to further analyze. The startup’s wearable device, Epilert, is waterproof and combines biometry with machine learning (ML) algorithms to predict epileptic episodes. Epilert then sends an alert to caregivers and continuously monitors patients’ vital signs. For example, the device sends information about patient lifestyle, medication patterns, and epileptic seizures using the startup’s mobile application.
Neuro Event Labs – Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based Seizure Detection
The randomness of epileptic episodes makes it difficult to predict the next seizure. At the same time, machine learning (ML) algorithms enable the continuous analysis of necessary data to predict seizures in real-time. This drives startups to leverage AI and big data to support medical professionals and caregivers with potential seizure alerts.
Finnish startup Neuro Event Labs develops Nelli, an audio-visual seizure diary. Nelli comprises a personal recording unit with a camera and a microphone. The cloud-based data analytics solution also integrates with a web-based dashboard to generate insights into patients’ patterns or root causes. The motions and sounds in the data are processed by AI algorithms and result in a scattergram and an interactive report for medical professionals to utilize while conducting their diagnosis.
SEER Medical – Brain Activity Monitoring
While non-epileptic and epileptic seizures differ in terms of electrical imbalances in brain activity, they both have similar symptoms, such as uncontrollable tremors. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the causes of non-epileptic seizures to manifest. Caregivers usually find it difficult to identify if such an episode is related to epilepsy. For this purpose, technology is able to assist caregivers by providing important patient monitoring data that allows them to detect non-epileptic seizures.
Australian startup SEER Medical offers Seer Sense, a wireless brain, and a heart monitoring device. The startup’s solution enables data collection without any interference with a patient’s regular activities. The solution combines electroencephalogram (EEG), electrocardiography (ECG), and video data, to differentiate epileptic events from non-epileptic events. Seer Sense is a wearable device that rests on the shoulders of a patient along with a chest harness and a belt. The startup also provides a monitoring hub where all the patient data is securely stored.
Epihunter – Smart Solutions for Absence Seizures
Children suffering from epilepsy show a range of symptoms that differ from child to child. Absence seizures cause the brain to halt and make the patient stare blankly and is often missed when this condition manifests in children. Visual alerts and triggers, such as lights on a smartphone or alarm notifications, enable those around a patient to detect an episode and provide the necessary assistance. Startups develop smart wearable solutions to track brain activity and identify absence seizures.
Belgian startup Epihunter provides a wearable solution for the detection of absence seizures in epileptic patients. The startup’s slim EEG band is worn around the head and monitors brain activity to identify absence seizures. Upon identification, the band delivers a visual alert to the patient’s caregiver. The real-time availability of data further helps people affected by epilepsy to lead a considerably improved lifestyle.
EPILOG – Diagnostic Imaging for Refractory Epilepsy
Drug-resistant epilepsy, also known as refractory epilepsy, is treatable with a surgical procedure. However, comprehensive imaging plays a vital role in identifying the area in the brain where the seizure starts. Advancements in healthcare diagnostics enable doctors to identify the problem area quickly and efficiently, reducing the time necessary for surgical readiness. Startups and scaleups develop diagnostic and medical imaging solutions for tackling refractory epilepsy.
The US-based startup EPILOG creates electrical source imaging for preoperative patient evaluation in cases of refractory epilepsy. EPILOG PREOP leverages clinically-validated techniques for detecting spikes and clustering in EEG. Patient-specific tissue types, including skull, scalp, air cavities, grey, and white matter from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans enable the startup to accurately localize the epileptic activity. The solution significantly reduces the time taken to identify the surgical area. This then allows surgeons to precisely plan the next steps of treatment to ultimately improve patient-centered outcomes.
What About The Other 327 Solutions?
While we believe data is key to creating insights it can be easy to be overwhelmed by it. Our ambition is to create a comprehensive overview and provide actionable innovation intelligence and enable you to achieve your goals faster. The 5 solutions tackling epilepsy showcased above are promising examples out of 332 we analyzed for this article. To identify the most relevant solutions based on your specific criteria, get in touch.
