Pictured at the announcement are: Dr Mark O’Sullivan, Co-founder & CEO, NeuroBell; Colm Murphy, Co-founder & Chief Technology Officer, NeuroBell; and Dr Alison O’Shea, Co-Founder & Chief Scientific Officer at Neurobell.

Start-up that detects seizures in newborns secures €2.1m investment

A Cork medtech start-up has secured €2.1m investment towards tech that could save the lives of infants. The injection of funds will enable NeuroBell to launch its technology which is focused on real-time and precise seizure detection in newborns requiring extra care. The goal is to facilitate early intervention, improving outcomes for infants. NeuroBell aims to create 12 new jobs by the year 2025.

Founded by Dr Mark O’Sullivan, Dr Alison O’Shea and Colm Murphy, and a spin-out from University College Cork and the Irish Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research (INFANT), NeuroBell aims to address gap in the availability and accuracy of current technologies used to detect seizures in newborns admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The €2.1m was secured through a funding round led by Furthr VC, Atlantic Bridge, and HBAN MedTech Syndicate.

Early detection of seizures is crucial for enabling early interventions in infants with brain injury and may help reduce the impact of life-changing conditions such as epilepsy and cerebral palsy.

NeuroBell estimates that approximately two million newborns worldwide suffer from brain injuries at birth. The company expects its device to have a significant impact on the health outcomes of babies who are receiving additional medical care following a traumatic birth.

Currently, continuous electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring is used to monitor newborn brain activity, however, these devices have limited availability and require specialised training to operate and interpret results.

Using embedded edge-AI, NeuroBell has developed a pocket-sized wireless brain monitor which can detect seizures in NICU patients. The technology enables routine monitoring of babies across various hospital settings without the need for specialised expertise. The user-friendly system eliminates the need for extensive training in both configuration and result interpretation.

Speaking about the investment in the company, Dr Mark O’Sullivan Co-founder & CEO, NeuroBell, said: “This funding marks a significant leap forward in advancing our goal to launch the product and get it into the hands of clinicians around the world to help newborn patients. It speaks volumes about our incredible team, who are passionate about using novel technologies to solve this critical medical need.

“Our solution will improve newborn care, offering gold standard brain monitoring with automated decision support to patients in all settings, including regional and tertiary hospitals.”

NeuroBell is now focused on securing FDA approval before launching its device in the US market in 2024, followed by the European market. The funding will enable NeuroBell to develop its product further, carry out additional clinical trials and expand its team. The new roles will be in engineering, quality assurance, and business development. The company expects to begin commercial sales of its medical device in 2025.

Dr Sally Cudmore, Director, UCC Innovation, said: “NeuroBell is a great example of UCC’s ambition to nurture entrepreneurial talent, with Dr O’Sullivan having participated in multiple business support programmes hosted by UCC Innovation. The significant investment that the team has secured is testament to a strong leadership team and innovative technology.

“As a limited partner in the University Fund II managed by Atlantic Bridge, UCC is delighted to see that fund invest in NeuroBell and their mission to develop technology that will have a significant impact on newborns’ brain health.”