Cognito Therapeutics, a late clinical-stage neurotechnology company pioneering non-invasive neuroprotective therapies in neurodegenerative diseases, announced a collaboration with Ochsner Health to launch a Brain Health Collaboratory aimed at advancing new approaches to treating cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease.
The Ochsner Collaboratory establishes the Gulf South’s first statewide platform for non-invasive brain health innovation, combining Cognito’s investigational Spectris technology platform with Ochsner’s clinical network to explore new models for brain health care delivery across both urban and rural communities throughout the region.
The Ochsner Neuroscience Institute serves as a destination for comprehensive neurological care between Houston and Atlanta, providing access to patients across a broad and diverse geographic area. The level of care provided to patients will be elevated with the addition of a new 132,000 square-foot facility. The Debra H. and Robert J. Patrick Neuroscience Institute at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, set to open in late 2026, will bring Ochsner’s neurosciences programs under one roof.
Ochsner and Cognito will work to develop a Brain Health Index, a framework designed to better track cognitive health, disease progression, and treatment response in real-world care settings. The program will also explore opportunities to integrate Cognito’s investigational Spectris™ therapy into clinical care models for patients experiencing cognitive decline.
The Ochsner Brain Health Collaboratory will also explore pathways to integrate Spectris into programs serving dual-eligible Medicare and Medicaid populations, an area where Alzheimer’s disease places significant clinical and economic burden. The collaboration will seek to generate clinical and health economics data to better understand the cost-effectiveness of non-invasive neuromodulation therapies and their role within value-based care models, including potential exploration of coverage pathways with payors.
Together, Cognito and Ochsner aim to develop a new framework for brain health measurement, care delivery, and evidence generation, helping to accelerate the translation of innovative therapies from research to real-world clinical practice.
At the core of the Brain Health Collaboratory initiative is Spectris™, Cognito’s investigational, non-invasive neuroprotective device designed for at-home use. Spectris delivers synchronized light and sound stimulation through the brain’s natural sensory pathways to promote healthy neural network activity and has shown early promise in preserving brain structure and function in Alzheimer’s disease. The technology may also hold potential across a range of neurological conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, stroke, and addiction. In 2021, Spectris received the Breakthrough Device Designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, recognizing its potential to transform neurodegenerative care. It is currently being evaluated in clinical trials under the HOPE Trial.