Our mission is to create an optogenetic platform that will aid in the development of drugs for neurodegenerative diseases.
Normally it takes 12-15 years for drugs to enter the market and over $1 billion is invested in the drug development. We want to save time and money in preliminary screening phase. This can be achieved be having more data in a shorter period of time using our device.
It is crucial to have faster drug development especially for neurodegenerative diseases given the high cost of treatment. Below are the costs listed for some of neurodegenerative diseases in need of better drug development.
Alzheimer’s
Cost (2017) : $259 billion
Parkinson’s
$25 billion per year (USA)
Schizophrenia
Cost (2013): $155 billion;
$44,773 per individual
ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)
$256 – $433 million per year (USA)