TALi Digital teams with US research institute to evaluate paediatric cognitive impairment platform

Health technology business TALi Digital (ASX: TD1) will collaborate with US-based Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI) to evaluate the effectiveness of TALi’s game-based technology platform designed to measure and develop attention skills in early childhood.

The research program has been developed to generate international clinical evidence for the platform’s ability to measure attention-related abilities and cognitive impairments in children aged between three and eight years.

Located at Duke University in North Carolina, DCRI has a history of designing large-scale, longitudinal studies for cognitive disorders in paediatric groups.

TALi managing director Glenn Smith said the research program will aim to expand the clinical evidence base for novel and innovative digital tools to identify and treat the symptoms of inattention at a young age.

“The DCRI has extensive experience working with developers of digital therapeutics to provide clinical research and an evidence framework needed for us to comply with the requirements of regulators, government agencies and commercial partners,” he said.

“Collaborations like this demonstrate the potential for TALi to have a tremendous impact on the lives of children and their broader communities,” DCRI Digital Health Solutions co-director Professor Scott Kollins added.

Attention disorders

Inattention affects hundreds of millions of children globally, with the most common conditions including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism and learning disabilities.

ADHD is one of the most prevalent paediatric neurological disorders in the United States and diagnosed cases exist in 6.1 million (or 9.4%) of the nation’s school-aged children.

TALi’s US exposure was enhanced in January when it achieved Google For Education partner status, allowing its tools to be accessed via Google products such as G Suite for Education and Google Chromebooks.

These products dominate the US education system with statistics showing that more than 55% of all students use a Google product every day to facilitate their learning experiences.

US patent

In April, TALi announced it had been granted a 20-year patent by the US Patent and Trademark Office for the technology and functionality underpinning its product portfolio.

Mr Smith said the patent secures the company’s intellectual property position in one of the world’s largest markets for cognitive inattention.

“The significance of this patent cannot be understated as it covers both the assessment and training functions [of our products],” he said.

“This competitive advantage allows us to accelerate our strategic objectives and opportunities,” Mr Smith added.

At mid-afternoon, shares in TALi Digital were trading 3.85% higher at $0.027.