Dr. Alessandro Venturino and Prof. Sandra Siegert at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) found that 60-Hz flickering light stimulation can modulate neural circuits linked to depression in preclinical models. Venturino et al

Realizing the enormous clinical potential of this finding, they teamed up with Mark Caffrey and Jack O’Keeffe to launch Syntropic Medical on 9 August 2023. Together, they assembled the first team of scientists and engineers to turn this lab discovery into Syntropic’s earliest prototypes.

In our first small office, we ran our first human study to test the safety and feasibility of our technology on healthy volunteers. Using EEG, we observed also how 60 Hz flickering light triggered strong, widespread neural entrainment (the alignment of brain activity to rhythmic external stimuli). This synchronization decreased over time, as a sign of increasing neuroplasticity, the brain’s capacity to adapt, rewire, and respond to stimulation. Alamalhoda et al

In just 18 months after Syntropic foundation, we initiated our first Clinical Studies, bringing our first prototypes in patients’ hands.

LUX Study — Early Feasibility First-in-Patient (MDD adult patient population). Institute of Psychiatry, USP - Universidad de São Paulo, Brazil.

NEON Study — Pilot Feasibility Study of Device for At-Home Use (MDD adult patient population). NYU Langone Health, New York, U.S.