Cambridge Cog Regulatory News (COG)

11 April 2016

Cambridge Cognition Holdings Plc

('Cambridge Cognition' or the 'Company')

Online recruitment platform to accelerate pharmaceutical development

The neuroscience and technology company Cambridge Cognition Holdings PLC (Cambridge, UK - LSE: COG) is launching its first web-based product, CANTAB Recruit, using the scientifically validated CANTAB® technology. This is expected to open the door for home-based cognitive testing at scale.

CANTAB Recruit is an online patient recruitment portal for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to accelerate the identification of qualified clinical trial participants in high-need indications such as Alzheimer's disease.

The web-based platform promises to enrich clinical research by sensitively pre-screening patients using innovative, interactive and proven cognitive measures to reduce screen failure rates and save study sponsors substantial time and cost.

The launch of CANTAB Recruit follows the first showing on April 7th of the Company's new technology Cognition Kit™, the wearable platform that will enable doctors, scientists and the public to better understand and manage day-to-day brain health.

With CANTAB Connect, the cloud-based cognitive assessment system for clinical trials launched in 2014, and CANTAB Insight, the Company's Class II medical device for detecting the earliest signs of cognitive impairment, the Cambridge Cognition product portfolio now includes a range of multi-platform solutions for use throughout the drug development lifecycle and patient engagement.

Initially, the focus for CANTAB Recruit will be in Alzheimer's disease clinical trials. Currently, around 35.6 million people worldwide have dementia, forecast by Alzheimer's Disease International to increase to 115.4 million - or one in 85 people - by 2050, with Alzheimer's disease accounting for around 75% of cases.1,2

As the Alzheimer's disease field moves towards prevention3, the challenge of bringing participants to research sites for early intervention trials has become a major bottleneck. Each new clinical trial, particularly those that target prodromal populations, may take as long as three years to complete enrolment, with screen-fail rates as high as 90%.4

The time and costs involved in patient recruitment are significant. Successful enrolment of participants regularly amounts to 32% of total trial costs5 and 80% of trials are currently delayed by at least one month due to unfulfilled recruitment numbers, delaying studies by an average of 18 weeks6, incurring further costs and delaying the time to market for new treatments.

Digital outreach using CANTAB Recruit is expected to make a significant reduction in the burden of work by the pharmaceutical companies sponsoring clinical trials by pre-screening before subjects visit their sites.

This means that a much smaller percentage of subjects would be brought to the site for further assessment and screen failure rates could decrease significantly.7

In 2015, 59 industry-sponsored Alzheimer's disease clinical trials were initiated; a 28% increase from 2013,8 and with prodromal Alzheimer's disease becoming a major research focus, CANTAB Recruit addresses a need in a growing market.

Cambridge Cognition is already in negotiations with pharmaceutical companies over the use of CANTAB Recruit to enrich their recruitment programmes. The Company predict that as the product demonstrates its value in Alzheimer's disease trials opportunities will develop in other neurological and psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease and depression.

Steven Powell PhD, Chief Executive Officer, Cambridge Cognition: "Over the past two years we have been developing a suite of exciting and innovative new products to address a growing global challenge."

"Alongside our cloud-based cognitive assessment products for academic and clinical research and our CE marked healthcare products, CANTAB Recruit and Cognition Kit now position Cambridge Cognition strongly for growth and geographic expansion."

He continued: "The launch of these products is key to the Company's long-term strategy to become the leading provider of scientifically proven technology to improve the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of mental health and wellbeing worldwide."

1 Alzheimer's Association. (2010) Alzheimer's disease facts and figures. Alzheimers Dementia. 2010 Mar;6(2):158-94.

2 Alzheimer's Disease International. (2010) World Alzheimer Report 2010: The global economic impact of dementia. London.

3 Vellas B, Bateman R, Blennow K, Frisoni G, Johnson K, Katz R, et al. (2015). Endpoints for Pre-Dementia AD Trials: A Report from the EU/US/CTAD Task Force. J Prev Alzheimers Disease;2(2):128-35.

4 Aisen P, et al. (2015). Registries and Cohorts to Accelerate Early Phase Alzheimer's Trials. A Report from the E.U./U.S. Clinical Trials in Alzheimer's Disease Task Force.

5 Patient Recruitment and Clinical Vendor Fees Top Clinical Trial Cost Drivers. Cutting Edge Info. 

6 Beasley D. (2006). Recruiting Special Patient Populations. Applied Clinical Trials.

7 Hughes, L. B. et al (2016). Innovative Digital Patient Recruitment Strategies in Prodromal Alzheimer's Disease Trials. Quintiles.

8 ClinicalTrials.gov

About Cambridge Cognition

Cambridge Cognition is a leading neuroscience and technology company delivering software and services to improve the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of mental health worldwide.

For over 30 years the Company's innovative CANTAB® technology has advanced the measurement of cognition in global scientific research; clinical trials; and general healthcare, accelerating the development of safe and effective treatments, reducing health service costs and improving patient outcomes.

In addition, the Company now develops a range of consumer focused digital health software products on mobile and wearable devices to help measure, manage and improve mental health throughout life.

Clients include the world's leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies; renowned academic institutions; and public-private healthcare providers.

For further information, visit www.cambridgecognition.com

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