Brain Monitoring Startup Mon4t Heads for Space
Montfort Brain Monitor (Mon4T), a medical company that provides remote neurological evaluation by using smartphone technology, big data and AI, was selected as one of the Israeli technologies that can accompany the Israeli astronaut Eytan Stibbe on his journey to space with Ax1 team, a mission by Axiom Space company. The mission is anticipated to leave for the International Space Station at the beginning of 2022.
As part of a 200-hour stay at the International Space Station (ISS), Stibbe will conduct scientific experiments and technological demonstrations in space conditions of pre-selected Israeli companies and organizations. The mission, called “Rakia” (Sky), is led by Ramon Foundation and the Israel Space Agency in the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Mon4t’s smartphone application monitors neurological symptoms such as tremor, reaction time and memory, in real time and remotely. The FDA-approved Mon4t solution uses existing smartphone sensors to perform neurological tests on patients with diseases such as Parkinson’s Disease, Huntington’s Disease, psychiatric disorders (such as schizophrenia) and more.
Mon4t app will be used to perform motor and cognitive tests while staying at the space station. The astronauts will perform the tests themselves, obtain self-feedback for their condition, and the results will be sent to Earth in real time allowing physicians to examine them in comparison to their performance on Earth.
The “Rakia” (Sky) mission is an initiative led by the Ramon Foundation and the Israel Space Agency in the Ministry of Science and Technology, in collaboration with IAI (Israel Aerospace Industries). In the space mission that will be launched in early 2022, Eytan Stibbe, joined by two other private astronauts, will cross the atmosphere. The Israeli participation in the mission is a rare opportunity for researchers and entrepreneurs from a variety of fields to conduct experiments in space and use the infrastructure of the International Space Station.
According to Dr. Ziv Yekutieli, Co-Founder and CEO of Mon4t: “The Rakia space mission is a fascinating opportunity for us to contribute to space research by monitoring astronauts’ health remotely. This is essential for long-term space missions, for guaranteeing the safety of the crew, and the success of their mission. At the same time, the knowledge we will obtain from space can improve our product on earth.” The experiments and technologies were selected by an independent scientific committee headed by Inbal Kreiss, the senior space woman in Israel, director of innovation in the aerospace industry’s systems and space division at IAI.
The experiments will be sent to the International Space Station subject to obtaining funding for the experiment, meeting the mission schedule, and subject to NASA approval.
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Mon4t was co-founded by CEO Ziv Yekutieli, PhD, an electrical engineer and brain scientist, with over 20 years of experience linking between both disciplines; and Dima Gershman, CTO, an Information Systems Engineering expert. Mon4t’s advisory board includes Professor Peter LeWitt, Professor of Neurology at Wayne State University School of Medicine, Director of the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Program at Henry Ford Hospital, Michigan, USA. Professor Hagai Bergman, Chair of Brain Research, Faculty of Medicine, Interdisciplinary Center for Neural Computation, Center for Brain Research – Hebrew University, Senior Researcher, Department of Neurosurgery, Hadassah Medical Center, President – International Basal Ganglia Society. Prof. Paul Friedmann, Professor of Clinical Neuroimmunology at Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
