MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — The West Virginia University Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI) and Cognito Therapeutics have announced the launch of the first Brain Health Collaboratory, a new model designed to speed the discovery, validation, and real-world delivery of non-drug neurotherapies. The initiative integrates clinical care, AI-powered research, and continuous data generation into a single learning health ecosystem aimed at reshaping how brain diseases and injuries are studied and treated.
At the center of the collaboration is Spectris, Cognito’s investigational, non-invasive neuroprotective device intended for at-home use. Early results indicate the device may help preserve brain structure and function in Alzheimer’s disease and could have broader applications in Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, stroke, and addiction.
The Brain Health Collaboratory expands on RNI’s multidisciplinary clinical ecosystem, which combines comprehensive patient care with rapid-cycle innovation and translational research. Through this partnership, Spectris will integrate into RNI’s clinical workflows, supporting real-time therapy delivery, continuous data collection, and adaptive learning. The initiative will also support full-spectrum research and development, including pre-clinical studies, clinical trials, health economics and outcomes research, real-world data analytics, and commercialization planning.
“We are proud to launch this pioneering partnership with Cognito Therapeutics,” said Ali Rezai, M.D., executive chair of the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute. “This Collaboratory brings together two institutions committed to rapidly advancing the treatment of neurological disease. RNI’s legacy in translational research makes us uniquely suited to help realize the full potential of Spectris from early discovery through system-wide implementation.”
“This is a rare inflection point where science, technology, and healthcare systems converge to transform how we treat brain disease,” said Christian Howell, CEO of Cognito Therapeutics. “Spectris has the potential to change millions of lives, but realizing that promise requires bold, global collaboration and entirely new models of evidence generation. The Brain Health Collaboratory embodies that vision.”
The WVU site is the first in a planned national network of Brain Health Collaboratories that Cognito Therapeutics expects to establish with leading academic medical centers. Together, these centers will form a new infrastructure for brain health that is proactive, data-driven, and designed to accelerate innovation from the clinic to the broader community.
Since its inception in 2018, the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute has led several first-in-the-world clinical trials, including the use of focused ultrasound to open the blood-brain barrier non-invasively for targeted therapeutic delivery in Alzheimer’s disease, as well as neuromodulation techniques aimed at reducing cravings in individuals facing addiction.
