Pear Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing novel therapies for central nervous system (CNS) diseases. Working closely with partners in the pharmaceutical industry, Pear is developing a new class of therapeutic products by combining software with psychoactive medications. The aim of this project is to develop and adapt to spaceflight digital eHealth interventions that work synergistically with psychoactive medications to address anxiety, depression, cognitive function, as well as other CNS indications such as sleep disorders. These interventions will function to mitigate several of the behavioral health and performance risks associated with spaceflight and will improve treatment options for individuals with CNS disorders in the population at large.
Overview
Software Enabled Therapeutics for Psychiatry, Neurology, and Pain
Principal Investigator:
Corey M. McCann, M.D., Ph.D.
Organization:
Pear Therapeutics, Inc.
Technical Summary
Several eHealth applications will be developed for use with laptops and tablets, providing portable, lightweight, and compact solutions suitable for personal/individual use. The initial focus will be to address mood disorders (stress, anxiety and depression) both preventively and, when indicated, via intervention. In addition to mood disorders, eHealth applications will also be developed to support cognitive health and to address sleep disorders.
All developed eHealth applications will incorporate real-time data via behavioral and biometric input, and this information will be used to provide supportive interventions. In addition to objective data collection, self-assessments will be utilized to index mood, sleep and cognitive performance. To encourage use of the eHealth applications, considerable effort will be placed on developing appealing and engaging user interfaces and user feedback systems. There will be a variety of systems to encourage use, ranging from engaging games to quantified progress output.
All eHealth software content will be designed to operate in a standalone mode without web connectivity, and with or without pharmaceutical intervention, providing first-line treatment options in advance of drug-software combined use.
In particular, the developed applications will help to mitigate the following risks associated with spaceflight:
1. Risk of adverse behavioral conditions and psychiatric disorders.
2. Risk of performance decrements due to inadequate cooperation, coordination, communication and psychological adaptation within a team.
3. Risk of acute and late Central Nervous System effects from radiation exposure. This includes CNS damage leading to acute and/or late changes in motor function, behavior, or neurological disorders.
4. Risk of performance errors due to fatigue resulting from sleep loss, circadian desynchronization, extended wakefulness, and work overload.
Earth Applications
The eHealth systems and paradigms developed for this project have significant clinical value beyond use in Spaceflight. The pathway to commercial utilization is clear, and the developer (Pear Therapeutics) is well positioned to facilitate transfer to broad clinical use. Pear Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing novel therapies for central nervous system (CNS) diseases. Working closely with partners in the pharmaceutical industry, Pear is developing a new class of therapeutic products by combining software with psychoactive medications.
eHealth and pharmaceutical combinations impact both brain chemistry and cognitive experience simultaneously, providing a synergistic approach to addressing CNS problems ranging from sleep disorders, to mood disorders (anxiety, depression) to PTSD and TBI.
Few new therapies are set to come to market for these diseases, as CNS drug development has been extremely difficult and time consuming, with many late phase and high profile clinical failures. Compounding the commercial problem, many of the major CNS franchises are losing patent coverage, and have already exhausted their lifecycle management and reformulation options.
Combining digital eHealth applications with pharmaceutical interventions generates improved results, promotes adherence and compliance, and provides a reimbursement mechanism to promote clinical adoption.