Summary: SleepCogni has received over £340,000 in Innovate UK grant funding to collaborate with Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust on addressing insomnia in children and young people. SleepCogni’s handheld devices use vibration, light, and sound to disrupt the cognitive cycles that prevent sleep, while also collecting data to analyze sleep disturbances. This partnership follows a successful trial that significantly reduced insomnia symptoms in adults within a week. The new funding will support further development, including a user experience trial to optimize the device for children and integrate artificial intelligence for personalized therapy.
Key Takeaways:
- SleepCogni has received over £340,000 in Innovate UK grant funding to work with Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust to address insomnia in children and young people.
- The handheld devices developed by SleepCogni use patented active-feedback technology, delivering cues like vibration, light, and sound to help break the cognitive cycles that prevent sleep.
- SleepCogni’s collaboration with Sheffield Children’s builds on a previous successful 80-patient randomized placebo-controlled trial, which showed significant reduction in insomnia complaints from clinical to non-clinical levels within seven days.
SleepCogni, a maker of handheld devices that help people self-manage insomnia, has received over £340,000 in Innovate UK grant funding to work with Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust to meet the growing challenge of insomnia in children and young people.
SleepCogni’s handheld devices use patented active-feedback technology to deliver cues such as vibration, as well as light and sound, to help those with insomnia break the cognitive cycles that prevent sleep. The device also captures physiological, behavioral, and environmental data to help understand what is impacting their sleep.
Heather Elphick, MD, consultant in respiratory and sleep medicine at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, says in a release, “We are always looking for new technology and innovations to support our children, young people, and families. We are very enthusiastic about our collaboration with SleepCogni in advancing their innovation. We recognize the potential their solution offers to those suffering from insomnia in both adults and children. Pending a successful trial, we are seriously considering the incorporation of SleepCogni’s device into our standard practice.”
SleepCogni’s long-term goal is to reduce NHS waiting lists by offering an immediate initial treatment for insomnia that aligns with gold-standard cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) practices, ensuring patients receive help within a matter of days, while providing meaningful insights into a patient’s sleep to assist clinicians.
Adult Trial Paves Way for Pediatric Insomnia Device Innovation
The collaboration with Sheffield Children’s builds on a successful 80-patient randomized placebo-controlled trial in adults conducted with Sheffield Hallam University. The trial showed that SleepCogni significantly reduced insomnia complaints from clinical insomnia to non-clinical levels within seven days.
“Industry-led research in the insomnia space holds great promise to impact many in society, and we are excited to move to meet the growing sleep challenges facing young people,” says Maan van de Werken, PhD, chief scientific officer, at SleepCogni, in a release. “The collaboration with Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust marks a significant milestone for us at SleepCogni and it is an area we hold close to our hearts.”
The Innovate UK project aims to test the SleepCogni device in a user experience trial in pediatric patients, optimize the device for the specific needs of children, and introduce artificial intelligence algorithms to enhance the therapy’s personalization and engagement.
Sleep Aid to Debut at CogX Festival
SleepCogni will conduct its first public demonstration of the device at the CogX Festival LA Exhibition on May 7. This opportunity comes as a result of winning the CogX Awards in September 2023 which recognized SleepCogni with the award for “Best Innovation in Personalized Medicine.” The annual awards ceremony, hosted at London’s O2 Arena and attended by over 90,000 people, celebrates artificial intelligence, technology, and innovation from around the world.
Photo caption: (Left to right) Heather Elphick, consultant in pediatric sleep medicine at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, and Maan van de Werken, co-founder and chief scientific officer at SleepCogni.
Photo credit: SleepCogni
Do you think you may suffer from Insomnia and live in Florida, California or New York?If so, please consider scheduling a proper virtual online Insomnia and Anxiety diagnosis with one of our physicians. Although we have an online ADHD and Anxiety diagnosis tool, a proper diagnosis from a Board-Certified Medical Doctor will help you know for sure. If appropriate, a customized treatment program will be recommended at the conclusion of that initial visit. |