Emory Healthcare Engages Linus Health on Initiative to Expand Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias
BOSTON, MA – February 16, 2023 – Linus Health, a digital health company focused on transforming brain health, today announced that the Goizueta Institute @Emory Brain Healthand The Seavey Clinic at Emory Healthcare are working with the company to implement innovative digital cognitive assessments in primary care. The collaboration is designed to evaluate and operationalize the use of digital technology to help primary care providers (PCPs) spot Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias at their earliest stages and intervene as early as possible.
An estimated 50 million people around the world currently have Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias and that number is growing by almost 10 million people every year. Detecting early signs, namely at the mild cognitive impairment stage, maximizes the window of opportunity for intervention for patients – whether that involves clinical trials, existing drug treatments, lifestyle interventions, or a combination thereof. However, traditional cognitive testing methods, largely paper-based, have lacked sensitivity and practicality for PCPs – those best positioned to uncover cognitive impairment as early as possible in their older adult patients.
Linus Health’s Core Cognitive Evaluation is an iPad-based cognitive assessment solution that has its roots in the long-established clock drawing test for detecting signs of cognitive impairment. After acquiring the DCTclock™, a digital, AI-enhanced version of the test, Linus Health expanded it with additional testing capabilities, integrated clinical pathway support for navigating next steps, and actionable lifestyle-based intervention resources. Quick, sensitive, and action-oriented, the solution provides a practical tool for assessing cognition that is both patient and provider-friendly, making it feasible to use in primary care settings.
The Goizueta Institute @Emory Brain Health, a world-class clinical and research institute focusing on new ways to prevent, predict, diagnose, and treat brain diseases, will collaborate with Linus Health and The Seavey Clinic, a comprehensive internal medicine clinic providing state of the art care at Emory, in the first phase of the project. The goal is to establish effective new cognitive testing practices, clinical workflows, and system integrations with participating providers at the Seavey Clinic before expanding within and beyond the clinic.
“Identifying new approaches to detecting brain diseases at their earliest stages is a top priority for the Goizueta Institute’s initiative for Personalized Brain Health,” said Allan Levey, MD, PhD, founding director of the Goizueta Institute @Emory Brain Health and Director of the Goizueta Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Emory. “To achieve this, we not only need new, standardized tools for assessing cognition, but also increasingly personalized patient prevention and treatment strategies. We’re excited to partner with the Seavey Clinic and Linus Health to launch this critical initiative.”
The project implementation comes at a time when major shifts are occurring in the treatment landscape for early Alzheimer’s disease. On January 6th, the FDA announced accelerated approval for lecanemab, now Leqembi, a new drug shown to reduce cognitive decline by 27% in individuals with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease (mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s) – one of few approved drug treatments shown to make an impact to-date.
“Primary care has long been the lynchpin for getting ahead of diseases, and diseases of the brain are no exception,” said David Bates, PhD, CEO of Linus Health. “Emory Healthcare is a brain health pioneer and we’re honored that they’ve chosen us to support their efforts to improve patients’ lives through earlier detection and intervention. With new drugs like Leqembi coming on the market, this is not only a unique point in time in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease because new detection tools exist, but also because treatment options are growing - and their impact relies on finding the disease early.”
About Linus Health
Linus Health is a Boston-based digital health company focused on transforming brain health for people across the world. By advancing how we detect and address cognitive and brain disorders – leveraging cutting-edge neuroscience, clinical expertise, and artificial intelligence – our goal is to enable a future where people can live longer, happier, and healthier lives with better brain health. Linus Health’s digital platform delivers a proven, practical means of enabling early detection; empowers providers with actionable clinical insights; and supports individuals with personalized action plans. We are proud to partner with leading healthcare delivery organizations, research institutions, and life sciences companies to accelerate more proactive intervention and personalized care in brain health. To learn more about our practical solutions for proactive brain health™, visit www.linushealth.com.
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