UCSF digital therapy spinout Akili Interactive Labs previously disclosed $97.4m in funding from investors including Amgen and Merck Group.
Akili Interactive Labs, a US-based digital therapy spinout from University of California San Francisco (UCSF), has secured an additional licence agreement with the Regents of the University of California.
The licence covers clinical-stage digital technology powered by neural systems targeting both cognitive function and physical activity to improve outcomes for patients with a wide range of medical conditions.
The therapy is delivered through a motion-capture video game interface to provide the patient with an immersive and personalised experience. It was devised at UCSF’s Neuroscape lab under the leadership of Adam Gazzaley, a professor of neurology, physiology and psychiatry who is also chief scientist and co-founder of Akili.
Founded in 2011, Akili creates video games for mobile devices that aim to improve cognitive function in order to treat conditions such as autism spectrum disorder, paediatric attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and traumatic brain injury.
The company’s lead program, AKL-T01, is a prescription therapy for children with ADHD currently under review by US healthcare regulator Food and Drug Administration. Akili also has multiple other technologies in clinical studies.
The spinout last raised funding in a $55m series C round in May 2018 led by Singaporean state-owned investment firm Temasek which also featured Amgen Ventures and M Ventures, respective corporate venturing arms of drug developers Amgen and Merck Group.
Baillie Gifford, Jazz Venture Partners, Canepa Advanced Healthcare Fund and Brooklands Capital Strategies also took part in the series C round.
Amgen Ventures and M Ventures previously also backed Akili’s $42.4m series B round in 2016, alongside founding investor, immunotherapy developer PureTech Health, Jazz Venture Partners and Canepa Advanced Healthcare Fund.
