Tom O'Neill, President & CEO It was one of those days—a pleasant evening, a family spending quality time together. All was well until they started to notice something odd. Their 55-year old mother was behaving quite differently than usual. As the days went by, they realized that their mom’s character was progressively straying farther from the normal. Scrolling down page after page on the web, her husband discovered that these changes were the initial symptoms of dementia. In a consultation that followed, the physician suggested testing her cognition. While the assessment was in progress, the husband felt irresolute regarding the reliability of the test, as he saw the doctor using paper and pencil to conduct the tests. He couldn’t help but wonder how efficient these old-school methods would be, in the 21st century?

Unfortunately, he is not alone. Driving brain health awareness and improving access to cognitive screenings are among the most important and urgent challenges of the 21st century. There are millions in the U.S. who need up to date and effective solutions for the early detection of cognitive decline. While the U.S. healthcare system encourages screening and testing for many diseases or conditions, there is no standard of care for screening/testing of cognitive decline up to and including Alzheimer’s disease. Cognitive screening or testing is often performed too late; when the person already has permanent cognitive impairment and when the caregiver needs help and intervention with their loved one.

Headquartered in Victor, New York, Cognivue® is driven by their mission to transform this scenario with their FDA-cleared test and technology to evaluate cognitive function. The company has designed and developed its test to objectively, quantitatively, and reliably evaluate cognitive function. “ Based on FDA-cleared technology, our computerized test of cognitive function allows medical practitioners to identify early signs of cognitive decline and manage the underlying causes of decline when it matters” says Tom O’Neill, President and CEO of Cognivue.

Only 1 year after the launch of the Gen 3 device called Cognivue Advance™, Cognivue is launching their Gen 4 device with two unique software packages, Cognivue Clarity™ and Cognivue Thrive™. Cognivue Clarity will have both the ten-minute and five-minute cognitive assessment for MDs due to its detailed cognitive reports. Cognivue Thrive will be a five-minute screening which is for non-MD users and provides a baseline cognitive assessment. It focuses on optimizing cognitive performance in our activities of daily living (e.g. work, sports, wellness etc). This fourth gen portable device from Cognivue mitigates many of the challenges associated with cognitive testing.

Weighing just under eight lbs, the portable device, with a powerful battery that lasts up to 8 hours, will make cognitive testing more convenient and efficient. Cognivue is all set to launch this Wi-Fi-enabled device that can communicate data through a HIPAA-compliant cloud database, in January 2020.

Craving Market; Contenting Innovation

“Cognitive decline is not a normal part of aging; however, aging becomes a risk factor if certain underlying conditions are not treated or managed properly and timely,” says O’Neill. According to the World Health Organization, the proactive management of modifiable risk factors can delay or slow the onset or progression of the disease. Some cognitive impairment is even reversible. However, the lack of detection and treatment can lead to severe consequences. “Dementias including Alzheimer’s disease are a tsunami coming that is not only a healthcare issue, but a society crisis that will affect hundreds of millions across the globe,” says O’Neill.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s and other dementias cost the U.S. 277 billion dollars in 2018, which will increase to 1.1 trillion dollars by 2050.