Cambridge Cognition soars on Indian software partnership

Cambridge Cognition leapt on Thursday after entering a partnership with a major pharmaceutical company to deliver online neurological testing to patients in India using its cloud-based CANTAB Connect platform.

The contract includes an upfront payment of over £0.2m for the adaptation of an existing CANTAB digital cognitive health product for use by Indian clinicians, before product development commences with two normative data studies funded by the AIM traded company's new partner.

Cambridge Cognition said this will be done with the objective of developing a software product that allows general practitioners to conduct neuropsychological assessments in a 20-minute time frame without the need for formal training.

Once it has been validated, the software will be marketed to clinicians throughout India by the partner, which will pay an annual licence fee to Cambridge Cognition for use of the product plus additional annual fees per clinical user.

Steven Powell, chief executive of Cambridge Cognition, said: "This is the first time an effort has been made, on this scale, to provide Indian physicians with a sensitive, objective and user friendly digital cognitive screening tool. This will have significant impact on the ability to detect and treat neurological conditions in India with long term clinical benefits and substantial commercial potential."

Over 30m people currently suffer from neurological disease according to the company, with the problem being compounded by a lack of trained medical experts, with inexpert general practitioners likely to attend to patients as there is only one neurologist per 1,250,000 among India's population.

Cambridge Cognition's shares were up 13.92% at 90.00p at 1252 GMT.