Niraxx Light Therapeutics Inc. believes light therapy could be a way to treat depression without any side effects.
The Irvine-based neurotech company is developing its first product called Brain Pacer, a therapeutic headband that emits low-level infrared light said to improve brain health.
Niraxx is targeting wearable e-textiles to “merge fashion with therapeutic medical devices,” Chief Executive Joshua Chen told the Business Journal.
“Because this is going to be used on people’s heads, we don’t want this to look like a device. The stigma is still there toward mental disorders.”
Niraxx said the Brain Pacer so far has yielded positive results in improving poor sleep and is now conducting clinical trials to see the efficacy of the device on depression and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Results of the studies are expected to be announced next year, according to Chen.
The company is currently raising a $10 million Series A round to support the clinical trials and development of the device’s accompanying online platform.
Sustainability
Niraxx suggests that patients wear the Brain Pacer for 10 to 20 minutes each session either at home or a clinic.
The headband uses photobiomodulation (PBM), a form of light therapy, that delivers low-level infrared light to stimulate the mitochondria for better brain function and productivity.
It’s made from washable fabric and will come in various colors. Chen said he hopes to expand the product line to eventually include tracksuits embedded with PBM technology, which are already under development.
“This technology will make the fashion industry develop functional and more sustainable clothing,” Chen said.
Chen said that Niraxx is more than halfway finished with developing its cloud-based platform that creates personalized treatments and automates scheduling for patients.
The company plans to sell subscriptions for its online platform at $1,000 per month to physicians and $129 per month to patients.
Niraxx is aiming to get Food and Drug Administration approval by 2027 for either mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or depression. MCI refers to issues with memory and thinking, an increasingly seen symptom from long COVID and the Ozempic weight loss injection, Chen said.
“Hopefully, if we have sufficient funds, we can do two, but if we pick among them, we will pick MCI because it’s a big problem today,” Chen said.
Previous Company
Niraxx was developed from Chen’s previous company called Nature Bright Co. that he co-founded with his wife, Ann, out of their garage in Irvine in 2001.
Nature Bright made light therapy devices for researchers conducting clinical studies on treating seasonal affective disorder until 2016 when it newly launched as Niraxx.
Chen partnered with Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and Harvard researcher Paolo Cassano, who specializes in photobiomodulation and is the co-founder of Niraxx.
Chen was nominated twice for the Business Journal’s Innovator of the Year Awards in 2015 and 2016 for his work in developing light therapy products.
