Akili Interactive Labs announced that it has raised another $11.9 million allowing it to become “more aggressive” in building its commercial infrastructure in preparation for a 2017 launch of its digital app to treat pediatric attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to co-founder and CEO Eddie Martucci.
“We are in market preparation mode,” Martucci said in an interview. He said the money will also boost Akili’s expansion into treatments for major depressive disorder and cognitive decline associated with multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.
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Funding came from Amgen Ventures and Merck Ventures BV, known in the U.S. and Canada as M Ventures. This is on top of $30.5 million raised already from investors Jazz Venture Partners, Canepa Advanced Healthcare Fund and PureTech Health.
Martucci described Boston-based Akili’s applications as a “new category of medicine” that is fully digital, doesn’t have to go in the body to have a full treatment effect and can be used in conjunction with or independent of drugs.
A study published in the journal Nature in September 2013 found that the concept of using video games as a cognitive treatment was effective in enhancing sustained attention and working memory in adults 60 to 85 years old. The seniors were also able to attain game scores “beyond those achieved by untrained 20-year-old participants,” according to the study.
“We believe digital medicine is the next frontier in healthcare, and we’re committed to helping bring digital into mainstream biopharma for a variety of patient and clinical needs,” Roel Bulthuis, M Ventures managing director, said in a news release. “We see the medical segment within digital health growing rapidly.”
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Akili’s Project: EVO platform is being tested as a treatment for children diagnosed with ADHD and the company will seek approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, pending results of the trial. A similar trial for children with autism is “not far behind,” Martucci said.
“We’re taking a more pharma-like approach with the lead in to commercialization than your typical medical device,” Martucci said.
Photo: Akili Interactive Laboratories
