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“There’s no such thing as a good concussion – we need to manage each concussion seriously” - Dr Adrian Cohen, Headsafe Founder & CEO.
Concussions are extremely common, especially in athletes. Almost everyone has either themselves ‘seen stars’ or know of someone who has had a ‘blow to the head’, and while they may not seem like a big deal, the effects can be serious and last for days, weeks or even longer.
Yet, despite their frequency, concussions present a unique challenge due to the complexity of diagnosis and management. The subjective nature of concussion symptoms often leads to inconsistent assessments and because patients may experience a range of symptoms, from headaches and dizziness to subtle cognitive changes, the severity and presentation of concussion can be extremely varied. In turn, this makes it difficult for healthcare providers to rely solely on patient-reported symptoms or what they’re observing to diagnose concussion.
A further complication is the time-sensitive nature of concussion management, particularly in sports settings. Coaches, medical staff, and athletes often face pressure to make quick decisions about whether a player can safely return to the game. This urgency can conflict with the need for thorough assessment, potentially leading to unfounded return-to-play decisions. The consequences of which can be severe, as returning to activity too soon after a concussion can exacerbate symptoms, prolong recovery times, and in some cases, lead to more serious brain injuries.
The team from Australian-based Headsafe have developed Nurochek, an FDA-cleared portable medical device that is capable of providing an objective concussion assessment in just 2 minutes.
Offering an objective, rapid assessment tool, Nurochek is set to be a game-changer as it potentially addresses many of the key challenges in concussion diagnosis and management.
The Challenge Explained:
Elaborating on the above, the challenge with concussions extends beyond immediate care to long-term management as well.
Traditional neurological exams and imaging studies, while valuable, often fail to capture the changes in brain activity that can characterise whether a person has suffered a concussion. This gap in diagnosis has created a need for innovative solutions that can provide quick, accurate, and objective assessments of brain function in suspected concussion cases.
Additionally, the inconsistency in concussion diagnosis and management protocols across different sports, levels of play, and even geographic regions adds another layer of complexity. As highlighted by the recent National Guidelines initiative introduced by ACC in New Zealand, the variation in advice and treatment approaches can lead to confusion among athletes, coaches, andparents. As ACC identified, the inconsistency in advice increases the risk of people either not reporting their concussion at all or reporting their concussion but returning to sport too soon and risking more serious injury.
The Opportunity:
While concussion diagnosis and management is the immediate priority for Headsafe's Nurochek, the potential applications of this groundbreaking technology extend far beyond this initial focus. Nurochek is well-positioned to capture a significant portion of the growing concussion diagnosis market, but this represents just the tip of the iceberg.
Nurochek is unique in so far that it can quickly measure brain processing without requiring a baseline for diagnosis. This capability could then be applied well beyond concussion assessment. For example, areas such as stroke assessment and monitoring, ADHD diagnosis and treatment evaluation, triaging head injuries in emergency settings, and even monitoring cognitive function in neurodegenerative diseases.
A significant opportunity exists in improving healthcare economics. Currently, concussion diagnosis and follow-up care are often considered ad-hoc and not effectively monetised within healthcare systems. Nurochek provides an opportunity to standardise and monetise diagnosis and treatment pathways, potentially creating new revenue streams for healthcare providers. By offering quick, objective assessments, it could also reduce unnecessary imaging studies and specialist referrals, potentially lowering overall healthcare costs while improving patient care.
By addressing the immediate need for improved concussion diagnosis while simultaneously opening doors to broader applications in brain-health assessment, Headsafe's Nurochek represents a significant opportunity totransform multiple facets of healthcare. It has the potential to improve patient outcomes and enhance healthcare provider capabilities on a global scale.
Why We Invested:
Our decision to invest in Headsafe was driven by acombination of factors that align with our investment strategy and our vision for the future of healthcare.
Addressing an unmet need: despite the commonality of concussions, there is a significant gap in rapid, objective diagnosis methods. Headsafe's approach addresses this with an innovative, FDA-approved solution.
Market Opportunity: the increasing awareness of concussion risks in sports has created a large and expanding market. The application of Nurochek beyond concussion diagnosis significantly multiples the potential market.
Portfolio fit – the future of health: Headsafe aligns with our focus on deep-tech companies shaping the future of healthcare.
Potential for significant global impact: byenabling faster, more accurate diagnoses, Neurochek has the potential to improvepatient outcomes.
Proven execution and regulatory success: FDA approval demonstrates the Headsafe team's ability to navigate complex regulatory environments and validates the technology's efficacy and safety.
Scalability and Global Applicability: Neurochek is portable and easy-to-use making it suitable for widespread use across various healthcare settings globally.
We completely agree that ‘harden up and get on with it’ is no longer good enough when it comes to concussion diagnosis and treatment.
By investing in Headsafe, we're not just investing in a promising medical device; we're supporting a vision for transformed brain health assessment and management that has the potential to impact millions of lives worldwide.
