Cambridge Cognition Holdings Plc (LON:COG), which develops and markets digital solutions to assess brain health, has announced two agreements in a new therapeutic area for the Company, post-traumatic stress disorder. Most recently, a research agreement was entered into with the with the United States Department of Defense, following on from a contract secured earlier this year with a top 10 pharmaceutical company. Approximately 20 PTSD treatment trials run every year1, demonstrating the potential for further sales in this therapeutic area.
PTSD affects around 15 million adults a year2 and up to 31% of veterans, many of whom do not experience relief from their symptoms with existing medications. It has been suggested that the symptoms of PTSD could directly lead to deficits in executive functioning, including re-experiencing memories, problems with concentration, and hyperarousal interrupting working memory performance3.
Only two pharmacological treatments for PTSD have received FDA-approval. One reason for this could be that drug response is highly variable between affected individuals, making it difficult to develop effective treatments. In efforts to address the therapeutic need, the United States Department of Defense is developing a precision medicine approach to PTSD. Cambridge Cognition has been selected as a cognitive assessment provider for the project because CANTABTM offers accurate measurement of the potentially distinct pathophysiological processes involved in PTSD.
Pharmaceutical companies are also investigating the potential for new drug classes for PTSD. Recently, a top 10 pharmaceutical company has contracted with Cambridge Cognition to be their cognitive assessment partner for an upcoming PTSD treatment trial. In delivering the contract, Cambridge Cognition will provide its proprietary cognitive assessment tool, CANTABTM, as an exploratory endpoint.
Matthew Stork, Chief Executive Officer of Cambridge Cognition, said:
“Cognitive impairment is increasingly recognised as a major component of PTSD. At Cambridge Cognition, we are pleased to be providing the company’s expertise to monitor cognitive symptoms with a view to improving outcomes for those suffering from the after-effects of major trauma.”
