TORONTO, Aug. 15, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DiagnaMed Holdings Corp. (“DiagnaMed” or the “Company”) (CSE: DMED) (OTCQB: DGNMF), a healthcare technology company focused on brain health using AI, is offering its novel BRAIN AGE® Brain Health AI Platform (“BRAIN AGE®”) as a clinical tool for investigating the impact of weight loss drugs, such as Semaglutide, on brain function. In a recently published study, Semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist that has been approved by the FDA and is currently marketed in various dosage strengths and forms as Ozempic®, Rybelsus®, and Wegovy®, showed that it does not appear to impact brain health negatively and is associated with lower risk of cognitive problems and less nicotine dependence.1
Future research on brain activity while taking weight loss drugs may provide insight into brain function and could offer new opportunities for personalized treatment regimens for overall brain health.
Fabio Chianelli, CEO of DiagnaMed, commented: “We are expanding the use of BRAIN AGE® Brain Health AI Platform as a potential clinical tool for investigating the impact of weight loss drugs, such as semaglutide, on brain function. Clinical studies for weight loss and the opportunity to know more about how the brain functions during a set treatment period could unlock personalized treatment regimens to maintain or improve overall brain health.”
Opportunity of Brain Health AI Platform in Weight Loss
According to Morgan Stanley Research, the global market for obesity drugs is expected to reach $105 billion in 2030 and as high as $144 billion.2 Obesity is a significant public health problem that not only underlies many medical conditions, including diabetes, but it also contributes to brain dysfunction.
Based on research studies at Drexel University and the University of Miami, BRAIN AGE® Brain Health AI aims to ‘raise a red flag’ for potential brain health issues. It can also help gain insights into brain function, memory, and thinking ability while taking weight loss drugs over some time. Study objectives can measure brain change over a specific timeframe and explore changes in executive functioning, quality of life, mood, and eating behaviour related to EEG data.
Interested clinics, hospitals, clinical research organizations, biotech, and pharmaceutical companies investigating weight loss drugs and would like to understand how they impact the brain can obtain more information on the BRAIN AGE® Brain Health AI Platform by visiting BrainAge.io.
Clinical Validation of BRAIN AGE® Brain Health AI Platform
BRAIN AGE® Brain Health AI can assess if a brain is aging more quickly or more slowly than is typical for healthy individuals. Brain age is estimated by collecting neural activity data of the brain with a low-cost and easy-to-use electroencephalogram headset and calculating the data with a proprietary machine-learning model. In addition, BRAIN AGE® Brain Health AI can assess if a person has a healthy brain or is in the early stage of cognitive decline. Brain health is scored by taking a clinically validated assessment for brain resilience, vulnerability and performance functions. Individuals can seek out personalized diagnostics and interventions, such as medication or lifestyle changes, that may help decrease cognitive decline development or progression.
In a first-of-a-kind peer-reviewed paper in Frontiers in Neuroergonomics, titled “Brain-age estimation with a low-cost EEG-headset: effectiveness and implications for large-scale screening and brain optimization”3, BRAIN AGE®, as announced in a press release by Drexel University, Prof. Kounios was quoted regarding the clinical potential of BRAIN AGE®: “It can be used as a relatively inexpensive way to screen large numbers of people for vulnerability to age-related. And because of its low cost, a person can be screened at regular intervals to check for changes over time,” Kounios said. “This can help to test the effectiveness of medications and other interventions. And healthy people could use this technique to test the effects of lifestyle changes as part of an overall strategy for optimizing brain performance.”4
From the University of Miami Comprehensive Center for Brain Health, the BRAIN AGE® brain health assessment portion is designed to assess a patient’s risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease (“AD”) and other neurological issues, through an advanced series of tests that determine the risk for dementia by combining three measures — a Resilience Index (“RI”), a Vulnerability Index (“VI”) and a Number-Symbol Coding Task (“NSCT”). The results, when combined, help assess the risk for developing AD and other related conditions. Essentially, it is intended to “take a snapshot” of a patient’s brain health. In a cross-sectional study, Galvin and colleagues evaluated 230 participants (71 controls, 71 with mild cognitive impairment, 88 with AD and related disorders). Researchers determined VI and RI scores from physical assessments, lifestyle questionnaires, demographics, medical history and neuropsychological examination, including the NSCT. Results showed that participants with abnormal test scores were 95.7% likely to be impaired, with a misclassification rate of 9.7%. The platform outperformed the Montreal Cognitive Assessment with a high level of accuracy (area under the curve = 0.923 ± 0.053)5.
About DiagnaMed
DiagnaMed Holdings Corp. (CSE: DMED) (OTCQB: DGNMF) is a healthcare technology company focused on brain health using AI. DiagnaMed is commercializing BRAIN AGE® Brain Health AI Platform, a world-first consumer brain health and wellness AI solution that estimates brain age and provides a brain health score. Visit DiagnaMed.com.
Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider have reviewed or accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Cautionary Statement
Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking statements, including with respect to future plans, and other matters. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such information can generally be identified by the use of forwarding-looking wording such as “will”, “may”, “expect”, “could”, “can”, “estimate”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “believe”, “projected”, “aims”, and “continue” or the negative thereof or similar variations. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, including but not limited to, business, economic and capital market conditions, the ability to manage operating expenses, and dependence on key personnel. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, anticipated costs, and the ability to achieve goals. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, the continued availability of capital and financing, litigation, failure of counterparties to perform their contractual obligations, loss of key employees and consultants, and general economic, market or business conditions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements are described under the caption “Risk Factors” in Company’s management’s discussion and analysis for the three and six months ended March 31, 2024 (“MD&A”), dated May 29, 2024, which is available on the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any state, province, territory or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state, province, territory or jurisdiction.
Kounios John, Fleck Jessica I., Zhang Fengqing, Oh Yongtaek. Brain-age estimation with a low-cost EEG-headset: effectiveness and implications for large-scale screening and brain optimization. Frontiers in Neuroergonomics. 2024; Volume 5. DOI=10.3389/fnrgo.2024.1340732. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnrgo.2024.1340732.
Kleiman, Michael J et al. “The Brain Health Platform: Combining Resilience, Vulnerability, and Performance to Assess Brain Health and Risk of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders.” Journal of Alzheimer's disease: JAD vol. 90,4 (2022): 1817-1830. doi:10.3233/JAD-220927
