Troy Dale
Strategic Advisor and Investor
Troy Dale, who originally trained as a Pharmacologist has over 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, spanning three continents and all aspects of the customer-facing value chain, including Development, Marketing, Market Access and Policy, and Sales. For the past decade, Troy led a team at Novartis focused on identifying and evaluating disruptive technologies in healthcare, especially within Neuroscience, ensuring that the organization remains ahead of the curve in understanding emerging innovations. In his last role as Head of Commercial Strategic Partnerships at Novartis he drove collaborations to enhance value across the global healthcare ecosystem. Troy is also Chairman of the Board at Cellbricks GmbH, a Berlin-based tissue therapeutics company, and serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of Ochre Bio amongst others. Additionally, he leads Biopharma assessments for the Springboard Health Angels Group.
“The most exciting thing about neuroscience is that it’s the only part of the body you can’t regularly and directly interact with. From a medical point of view, it’s inaccessible as an organ, and it’s been this bizarre mystery until we started advancing imaging technologies”
Troy’s fascination with neuroscience began early in his pharmaceutical career while working in sales of anti-epileptic medications. His time at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London exposed him to rare and complex neurological diseases, deepening his curiosity about the brain’s intricate mechanisms and the unmet needs in neurological treatment. This experience led him to focus on neuroscience throughout his career, particularly in multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease portfolios. A personal connection to depression further deepened his commitment to mental health innovation.
The future of neurotech
Having spent decades examining disruptive technology, Troy is particularly excited about the current developments in the neurotech space, seeing the post-COVID healthcare environment as a catalyst for innovations like Syntropic Medical’s technology, with a strong at-home treatment approach. “COVID was a great incentive for remote activity and telehealth service provision. It really started to break the fracture points that existed in older healthcare structures.” The pandemic accelerated the acceptance of remote medical solutions, a shift that directly supports Syntropic’s vision. Troy highlights how physician-patient trust, traditionally built through in-person interactions, is evolving with the rise of safe, and more importantly effective, telehealth technologies. “Having an option that is safer potentially means that physicians are going to be more comfortable taking the responsibility for administering a treatment at a distance.”
For mental health treatment, Troy believes this shift is particularly valuable. “Depression is still associated with a lot of stigma. If you’ve got a product that looks like fun, you’re destigmatizing the process, especially if it works as well as we currently believe. It’s liberating the patient from the constraints of the traditional care pathways“. Syntropic Medical’s approach, which blends neurotechnology with an accessible and patient-friendly experience, represents an opportunity to redefine how depression is treated.
Neurotech developments
Building on his deep industry experience, Troy predicts that advancements in imaging technologies will be a major driver of neurotech progress. “Many years ago, I was subject number six in someone’s PhD thesis, which was cross-referencing very early MRI imaging with GABA receptor density Now, it’s become commonplace. You can look at metabolic activity in the brain and changes in excitation and function.” The ability to visualize brain activity with increasing precision is opening new doors for both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments.
He is also particularly excited about the integration of AI with advanced imaging, which he sees as a game-changer in tailoring interventions. “We’re moving toward a space where we can start using pharmacological or non-pharmacological therapeutics in a much more precise and informed way.” With more refined insights into brain function, treatments can become more personalized and effective.
What brought you to support Syntropic, and what is its unique insight?
My journey with Syntropic Medical began when I first encountered the founders as a Mentor at the Creative Destruction Lab, a startup accelerator focused on science and technology-driven ventures. It was a lightbulb moment. I immediately thought, “If this works, it’s going to be massive.” Having evaluated countless startups, I was struck by the solid scientific foundation behind Syntropic’s technology. It was bold, counterintuitive, and incredibly exciting. The idea that you can induce a rhythmic waveform to influence cellular behavior was so unconventional that it just might work.
Troy’s enthusiasm for Syntropic’s potential led him to support the founders in shaping the company’s early strategy. As he worked closely with the founding team, he recognized the disruptive potential of their technology and ultimately took on the role of Strategic Advisor and Investor.
With his rare combination of deep scientific knowledge, industry experience, and strategic insight, Troy is a crucial asset in guiding Syntropic Medical’s growth and positioning it as a leader in the neurotechnology space.
Want to connect with Syntropic? Reach out at info@syntropicmedical.com