SBIR Phase I:EEG-guided intelligent transcranial photobiomodulation to reduce symptoms of autism

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to demonstrate proof of concept for a wearable device for delivering personalized therapy to mitigate autism in children. One out of 44 children in America is diagnosed with autism. Behavioral therapies with no pharmacological or device treatments show mixed effects.This project advances an effective personalized treatment to augment or replace the state of practice. The device will be used in the privacy of each child’s home without the need for a specialist. The benefit of the proposed system is approximately 33% improvement in autism symptoms, resulting in over $1 million in lifetime savings for each child.This SBIR Phase I project aims to demonstrate the feasibility of a non invasive wearable medical device that stimulates brain tissue using near infrared radiation in Transcranial Photobiomodulation (tPBM), with integrated EEG feedback on Delta brain waves indicative of therapeutic effect. This project will complete prototyping of a system suitable for use, collect pre-clinical data in children, develop a signal analysis database, and develop algorithms based on the patient’s baseline factors for the desired effect.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.