CergenX say the technology will enable early intervention by medical professionals to improve outcomes for newborn babies.
A Cork-based start-up is using recent advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the early detection of abnormal brain activity in babies at birth.
Founded in 2021, CergenX aims to improve brain health monitoring in newborns by developing algorithms for screening all babies at birth for abnormal brain activity.
The technology will enable early intervention by medical professionals to improve outcomes for newborn babies.
The start-up says at least five in every 1,000 newborn babies may have some degree of brain injury.
Unfortunately, this is often undetected until the infant is much older, when parents notice developmental problems, which can have lifelong consequences.
Currently, the most common method for assessing brain function in newborn babies involves the use of electroencephalography (EEG) which measures the tiny electrical impulses of the brain. However, EEGs are complex to read, time-consuming, and there is often a shortage of trained specialists available. It is therefore not possible to test all newborn babies.
According to CergenX (CSO) Professor Geraldine Boylan, early detection of abnormal brain activity is critical.
“The majority of brain development takes place within the first few years of life so early detection of any abnormal brain activity is critical,” she said. “Early detection is essential for improving the outcome for the child and indeed their family. There are a growing range of treatments and interventions available for newborn brain injury, but we need to know which babies are at highest risk as soon as possible.”
The company has a large brainwave databank for training brain screening AI algorithms which will be embedded in medical devices.
Jason Mowles, CEO commented, “We are in discussions with medical device manufacturers who are interested in incorporating our software solutions into their devices. This is the start of a revolution in the use of AI for newborn brain healthcare, and CergenX intends to be at the forefront of this.”
He continued, “This is incredibly exciting and rewarding work and we have a real opportunity to make a major difference in a vital area of newborn healthcare.”
CergenX is a spin out from the INFANT Research Centre at University College Cork (UCC). The INFANT Centre has been at the forefront of newborn brain research since it was founded by Professor Boylan in 2013.
Professor Boylan co-founded CergenX in conjunction with Jason Mowles (CEO) and Sean Griffin (CTO) to bring the benefits of this research to newborn babies worldwide.
This content was originally published here.
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