Brain+ CTO unfolds the Company’s Technology Platform Strategy

Paula Petcu joined Brain+ as new Chief Technology Officer after the company’s IPO in 2021, and is now driving forth the company’s product development work and technology platform initiatives. She came from Lundbeck A/S, a pioneering pharma company within central nervous system (CNS) disorders, where she built up the digital health organization. In this article, she explains the Brain+ platform strategy and technology stack.

Summary highlights

• Platform strategy: We are building a technology platform that is both modular, scalable, configurable, and regulatory compliant, while also allowing for high-quality data collection and easy integration with other apps and platforms.

• Technology Stack: Our therapeutic software solutions are developed for both web and mobile applications using Flutter, which is a worldwide recognized framework for building multi-platform applications from a single codebase. We build on a German-based cloud infrastructure to ensure compliance with German and European data privacy requirements. And we use a microservices architecture for the flexibility and modularity of our products.

Paula’s purpose and the future of digital therapeutic

Paula has a technical background, and she describes herself as “extremely motivated by being able to contribute to developing new technical solutions that can help others, and very curious to explore how the brain works best possibly”.

Her curiosity of ‘how the brain works best’ and her drive to develop new technologies, which can support better brain functioning, combined with her solid experience in digital health and pharma management make Paula a perfect match for and strong contribution to the Brain+ mission to make effective dementia treatments broadly available - as Digital Therapeutics.

Paula sees great potential for Digital Therapeutics in general: “With Digital Therapeutics, I believe we can get closer to personalized medicine that considers the disease profile and therapeutic needs of the individual. I believe that it's the way to make better treatments available to a larger population, through remote digital solutions. I also think that Digital Therapeutics and pharmacological interventions can co-exist and support each other. This is a particularly promising perspective, in the sense that the two could have a synergistic effect rather than simply an additive effect. “

The CTO priorities

“As CTO I am leading the technical team as well as driving and implementing the technology strategy for Brain+ to also ensure that it is aligned with the overall goals and ambitions of our company. Currently, our tech team is working on developing our first Brain+ Digital Therapeutic product, called Cognitive Stimulation Therapy, specifically adapted in terms of product features and content for Denmark and Germany, where it will first be launched. We do so based on the years of experience the team has in health tech, software development, and gaming so that we can develop an engaging and efficient solution for our target audience”, shares Paula.

“We are also involved in several research projects, working to build the future innovative technologies on our roadmap and the prototypes for our pipeline products. It's important as part of our innovation to keep a close eye on the research ongoing in the outfield of Digital Therapeutics and health since technology is moving fast. Compared to pharmacological innovations, we can adapt our technologies faster as we learn from the market and adopt advancements as they are made.”

Strategy for the Brain+ technology platform

Paula explains the strategy: “We are building a technology platform that is both modular, scalable, configurable and regulatory compliant, while also allowing for high-quality data collection and easy integration with other apps and platforms.”

We are building a framework where we can add new modules over time and scale modules as needed, tune which modules should be made available to what audience, and how those modules should behave. We develop and maintain our platform and digital solutions in accordance with the regulatory guidelines and standards for software as a medical device. We have integrations between our different systems allowing for traceability, and we automate checks and deployments where possible. We are already planning for interoperability with other systems and applications, and via the modularity of our platform, we will enable APIs (Application Programming Interface) and SDK (Software Development Kit) modules that can be connected to other applications.

The Brain+ tech stack explained

We are running on cloud infrastructure and deliberately chose to go for a cloud provider that is based in Germany. This will ensure proper control and security of the processing of data, in compliance with the regulatory requirements and standards for software as a medical device in Europe.

We are developing our solution for applications on both web and mobile and do so with Flutter, which is a broadly recognized framework for building multi-platform applications from a single codebase. “We chose it because it allows us to reach our audience on every screen (be it web, mobile, desktop, tablet) while only needing to maintain one code base, which means we can deliver high-quality products to a bigger audience, faster and cheaper”, Paula explains.

We have a microservices architecture, where we separate the different aspects of the solution into smaller dedicated services that are loosely coupled. We use Kubernetes for the orchestration of these services, which is widely used in the community. Paula elaborates: “This architecture provides benefits in terms of modularity, scalability, and the tech choices we make going forward.”

A great unmet need and market potential

“There is a high unmet need for effective treatments for dementia, and at Brain+ we leverage innovative methods to create ground-breaking new treatments. We make these new treatments broadly available to people with dementia, their relatives, and caregivers - in the shape of Digital Therapeutics. We are working towards building a Digital Therapeutics platform supporting the ecosystem for delivery of dementia treatments, and we are on our way already to bringing the first Brain+ Digital Therapeutic to the market, initially in Denmark and Germany. In Germany alone, there are 1.5 million people living with dementia and in the rest of the world more than 50 million people, so the potential for our technologies and products is huge” says Paula.

Finally, Paula shares her vision for the future of Brain+: “My vision is that Brain+ will create THE Digital Therapeutics platform for dementia, on top of which we provide various modules, delivered as digital health solutions, services, or medical device components. The development of the first Brain+ Digital Therapeutics is on the way and going according to plan, and we have several exciting projects in the pipeline. The tech stack we chose is built for scaling as we grow, and as Brain+ grows we can provide millions of people around the world with access to novel and effective digital therapies delivering value also to our investors. “

Meet the CTO video series

In the latest two Brain+ videos, we invite you to meet our CTO, Paula Petcu. She shares what motivates her and what opportunities she sees for the future of Brain+.

Meet the CTO Part 1: Video Link

• Personal purpose
• Future of Digital Therapeutics
• CTO’s top priorities in Brain+ in 2022

Meet the CTO Part 2: Video Link

• Brain+ tech stack
• Future vision of tech platform
• CTO’s message to investors

About BRAIN+ [BRAINP]

Brain+ is a pioneer in developing medical software to detect and treat the cognitive symptoms of dementia, and the most common cause of dementia, namely Alzheimer’s disease. This approach is also referred to as Digital Therapeutics.

THE PROBLEM WE ADDRESS

Dementia is a terrible condition, crippling a person’s independence and putting a heavy burden also on the family. This puts an enormous emotional burden on the patients and their loved ones. Cognitive abilities deteriorate, behaviors change, and independence is lost. The complexity of the underlying pathology of dementia has so far made it hard for traditional pharmaceutical companies to deliver effective treatments, and there is an increasing focus on new non-drug therapies that can pave the way to help relieve the heavy burden of dementia – for people living with the disease, their relatives and healthcare systems. With an aging population, dementia – and in particular Alzheimer’s dementia – is a growing problem, threatening to overwhelm the health care systems of the world.

OUR VISION

To make effective dementia treatments available to everyone, as digital medicine.

OUR MISSION

To restore independence and quality of life for people with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia, by detecting and effectively treating the cognitive decline associated with these medical conditions.

THE SOLUTION WE PRESENT

Together with world-leading experts and institutions, we digitize the best-in-class, non-drug dementia therapies, and make them broadly available on standard digital devices – for use both in people’s homes and at the clinics. A digital therapy simply means that a person receiving the treatment must actively do something, and interact with a software program or another person, which is stimulating to the brain, or which results in changes in behavior that brings measurable health and quality of life benefits. Our Digital Therapeutics solutions also benefit the patient caregivers in their work and can help ease the pressure on health care systems.

DIGITAL THERAPEUTICS HAVE BROAD POTENTIAL

Digital Therapeutics can be used on their own in combination with traditional pharmaceuticals. We believe the future will combine the best of both the digital and the pharmacological world for mutually enhanced benefit, including compliance, patient engagement and mechanisms of action for better health outcomes. Specifically, while pharmaceuticals target the underlying disease, e.g. Alzheimer’s, the Digital Therapeutics target the cognitive and behavioral symptoms that make up the dementia diagnosis – whatever its cause - thus creating a powerful synergy when administered in concert.

PERSONALIZED, DATA-DRIVEN MEDICINE

We believe another unique and valuable benefit of digital medicine is that it allows for the collection and use of valuable healthcare data. Such data can be used to create tailored and more effective personalized therapies and help improve clinical and scientific practice, while always adhering to strict ethical standards of personal data protection.

OUR DNA

We are a digital biotech company. Our technologies and products are being built on a deep understanding of the challenges and needs associated with dementia. They are rigorously tested, scientifically and clinically validated, and regulated as software-as-medical-devices (software-as-treatments). Our products will be prescribed by health care professionals and paid for by health insurance or state health care.

OUR TECHNOLOGY & PRODUCTS

We have developed three core technologies, which are undergoing clinical validation and further iterative development. 

Our first core technology is a digitalized version of ”Cognitive Stimulation Therapy”, an existing therapy that treats the main symptoms of dementia. This technology is the basis of our first dementia treatment product, Cognitive Stimulation Therapy – Therapist Companion, which is planned for launch in Denmark and Germany in 2023. 

Our second core technology is Computerized Cognitive Training, which is comparable to fitness exercises for the brain. We are developing the 2nd generation of this technology for use in the pre-stages to dementia, like mild cognitive impairment or in people with memory complaints and other high-risk groups for developing dementia. This technology will be the basis of products for these risk groups, following the first dementia-targeted products.

Our third core technology is a special memory test, which was originally developed by Professor Masud Husain at Oxford University, and then further co-developed, gamified, and made scalable with Brain+, with the aim of enabling better, and earlier detection of Alzheimer's disease and monitoring of disease progression.

THE POTENTIAL OF OUR DIGITAL THERAPEUTICS

Currently, 50 million people are diagnosed with dementia globally, and this number is expected to triple to more than 152 million people by 2050. In the US, 1 in 3 seniors die with, or of, dementia.

In 2030, the global costs of dementia are expected to exceed $2 trillion (or equal to 2/3rds of the entire health care budget of the USA), 1 in 3 people die from dementia in the US today, and in the UK it is already the leading cause of death for women. The estimated market potential for digital dementia treatments is approximately $5 billion (for comparison the global market for digital diabetes management was valued at $6 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach $17 billion in 2026). Tapping into this market with effective digital solutions has the potential to generate revenue of hundreds of millions $. Brain+ aims to commercialize its products based on licensing deals with strategic commercial partners for faster market penetration and global scaling.

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE & PROTECTION

Brain+ has a unique corporate profile in the sense that it combines elements from both a technology company and a life science company. The advantages thereof include; proprietary technologies/mechanisms of actions, which are kept secret and continuously developed and updated; intellectual property rights legal agreements with partners and employees, IPR strategy and processes; building of critical mass in terms of clinical evidence, data, regulatory certifications, trusted partnerships and reputation with the key opinion leaders in the academic-, clinical- and patient communities; market first-mover advantages in terms of clinicians developing preferences for and building know-how in our products.

TEAM

Over +10 years, we have built a strong knowledge base, considerable knowhow, and a network of global expert collaborators. Our technology portfolio is the result of over €10 million in R&D investments (prior to IPO), which puts us in a unique position to become a global market leader in Digital Therapeutics solutions for dementia and Alzheimer's. We have a senior management team with a combined 100 years of track record, with backgrounds from internationally leading MedTech and pharma companies including Coloplast, Lundbeck, Novartis, and GN Hearing. This provides us with the solid backbone needed to fulfill our mission and change the way we treat and deal with dementia on a global scale.

PARTNERS & COLLABORATORS

We believe the best outcomes are achieved through collaboration, and we, therefore, partner with the best minds and hearts in our eco-system; pharmaceutical leaders in the Alzheimer’s disease market, such as Biogen and RoX Health, a subsidiary of Roche Germany; academic & clinical partners, such as universities of Oxford, Nottingham, Aarhus, and Gothenburg; patient organizations and NGOs, such as Alzheimer Europe, Alzheimer’s Disease International, and the European Brain Council.

In summary, Brain+ is in a unique position to become a Digital Therapeutics market leader in dementia and Alzheimer’s disease given our cutting-edge technologies, our partnerships with thought leaders and key players in the dementia space, and a highly competent team to execute.