Ai-Brainscience Inc., (Office: Osaka, CEO: Kentaro Takamura, “Ai-Brainscience” hereof) and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Office: Tokyo, CEO: Makoto Inoue, “Otsuka” hereof) announce that the companies signed a domestically exclusive sales collaboration agreement to market cognitive function testing application in Japan (Development Code: AiBS-01) based on eye-tracking technology that Ai-Brainscience develop.

People with dementia in Japan are projected to increase by 7.3 million in 2025 and 9.53 million in 2040 *1. Today Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE)*2 is internationally used as necessary neurological screening test for dementia diagnosis. Meanwhile, MMSE takes about 20 minutes*3 to complete, requires professional clinical skills and experiences, and pressures patients psychologically. Therefore more simple and objective screening test method is needed.

AiBS-01, installed as application on tablets such as iPad, track bio data obtained from patients’ eyes gazing at images and movies on the screen and assess cognitive functions by analyzing those gaze plot data. AiBS assessment is identical to the assessment items of MMSE. AiBS-01 technology enables to perform more simple and less stressful cognitive function in approximately three minutes.

Ai-Brainscience have been already developing this technology as medical device program since the foundation. Ai-Brainscience have completed clinical trials in Japan and filed an application for Manufacturing and Marketing Approval to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in December 2021. Under this agreement, Otsuka will exclusively market AiBS-01 in Japan and pay Ai-Brainscience upfront payments, milestone payments, and royalties according to net sales amount.

About Ai-Brainscience Inc.

Ai-Brainscience originates from the project “Development of Simple Cognitive Function Screening System using Eye-Tracking Technology to reduce burdens to social systems” (Principal Investigator: Shuko Takeda, Associate Professor of Osaka University). The project is one of the programs called “program for creating STartups from Advanced Research and Technology” (START program) under Japan Science Technology Agent (JST).

Reference

*1 cite from “日本における認知症の高齢者人口の将来推計に関する研究“ （published by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Labour in 2014）

*2 Mini Mental State Examination (a neurological screening test method for dementia diagnosis)

*3 Haubois et al. BMC Geriatrics 2011, 11:59