CED TechVenture profile: Muses Labs, fighting Alzheimer’s with ‘precision medicine’

Raleigh-based startup Muses Labs aims to use what it calls “precision medicine” to combat chronic, complex diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

“Precision medicine is an approach to disease prevention and treatment that takes into account individual variability in genes, medical status, environment, and lifestyle to aid in the selection of effective treatments,” says CEO Vik Chandra.

Muses’ team has already developed what it calls the MEND Protocol as part of its Alzheimer’s efforts. So what is the MEND Protocol and how is it different that current Alzheimer’s drugs?

“Currently there are five FDA-approved drugs indicated for Alzheimer’s disease. These drugs temporarily help symptoms and do not halt decline of cognitive function. Research has shown that complex diseases like Alzheimer’s cannot be solved with a single medication or treatment plan,” Muses says.

“Instead, a combination therapy will be required to halt further decline, help reverse symptoms, and prevent onset of disease. Unlike drugs that address a single issue, the MEND Protocol targets the 50-plus known causes of cognitive decline that often exist simultaneously. In addition to FDA-approved medications, the MEND Protocol also includes supplements and lifestyle changes personalized for you and your specific needs.”

Chandra and CTO (as well as co-founder) John Q. Walker are both former IBMers with extensive research and data experience. Walker, for example, led a team in the development of the what the founders call “groundbreaking algorithms while managing data in a high security, HIPAA-compliant environment.” They are assisted by a five-member scientific advisory board.

“Our mission is to provide hope to those who may have lost faith in finding solutions for complex, chronic diseases,” Chandra explains.

“We employ data to identify the underlying causes, develop an evidence-based, personalized combination therapy, and work collaboratively with patients, caregivers, and health care providers to improve outcomes.”

With a team of doctors, scientists, technology experts, and seasoned entrepreneurs, Muses Labs is bringing to market a next-generation personalized combination therapy for Alzheimer’s disease.

Muses Labs already a partner with RTP-based Metabolon and George Washington University.

So what is precision medicine and what’s the technology behind Muses?

Our Q&A with Chandra is part of a series featuring CED Tech Venture Conference presenters in a partnership between the CED and WRAL TechWire.

What is the focus of your business?

Muses Labs’ services enable physicians to apply Precision Medicine in clinical practice. Precision medicine is an approach to disease prevention and treatment that takes into account individual variability in genes, medical status, environment, and lifestyle to aid in the selection of effective treatments.

Our initial solution targets age-related cognitive decline and the spectrum of Alzheimer’s disease. We have developed a data-driven, technology-enabled solution to help physicians correctly identify and simultaneously treat the dozens of underlying causes of age-related cognitive decline. Our initial solution targets people who are beginning to have symptoms of age-related cognitive decline and those with a family history of dementia.

Proprietary algorithms within the solution recommend optimal medical interventions personalized for each person with a goal of improving memory and cognitive function.

What is the top pain point/business application you are seeking to address?

Exploding data on patients and their medical status, an ever-increasing base of new research, and shrinking time between doctors and patients makes clinical practice of Precision Medicine impractical. As a result, patients get a one-size-fits all approach to care and ineffective treatments for complex and chronic diseases, leading to a large financial burden on patients and society as a whole.

Physicians need a new class of tools to help them effectively collect and analyze data, and design personalized care plans for complex diseases.

What makes it unique?

Initial precision medicine applications target oncology and only leverage the cancer’s genome. Our technology goes deeper and broader by processing diverse types of patient biological and behavioral data, and has the potential to target a variety of chronic and complex diseases.

Relative to our initial solution, there are only five FDA-approved drugs indicated specifically for Alzheimer’s disease. These drugs temporarily help symptoms and do not halt decline of cognitive function. Research has shown that complex diseases like Alzheimer’s cannot be solved with monotherapies – a single medication or treatment plan. Instead, a targeted combination therapy will be required to halt further decline, help reverse symptoms and prevent onset of disease.

Unlike drugs that address a single issue, our solution targets the 50-plus known causes of cognitive decline that often exist simultaneously. In addition to FDA-approved medications, our solution also includes supplements and lifestyle changes personalized for a patient’s specific needs. There are no other solutions in the market that enable Precision Medicine for Alzheimer’s disease.

Why should investors be interested in your firm?

Our solutions address the needs of a large and growing market segment of chronic complex diseases. According to the CDC, 75% of the US population over the age of 65 has a history of multiple, chronic conditions.

Proven results that our solutions enable new approaches to the treatment of chronic disease with no solutions.

Pilot results show that our methodology has the potential to improve memory and cognitive function in greater than 50% of individuals that followed their personalized care plan for at least six months.

We have established a recurring revenue stream through our Referring Physician Partner and Value-Added Physician Partner programs.

We have partnered with some of the most notable industry leaders (such as Metabolon) and medical organizations (such as George Washington University Center for Integrative Medicine) to further refine and expand our offerings.

Our technology expertise is backed by a Scientific Advisory Board consisting of a number of the leading Alzheimer’s disease researchers and health care providers representing multiple institutions.

Our solutions will expand to cover additional complex and chronic disease such as Parkinson’s, autism, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, diabetes, and others.

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