By Anjelica Rubin – Technology/Tampa Bay Inno reporter, Tampa Bay Business Journal
Jan 27, 2025
Updated Jan 28, 2025 5:39pm EST
Just over one year after being acquired to help build a clinical research center, Tampa-based Axiom Brain Health celebrated the next chapter in its neurodegenerative research at the launch of its new site on Jan. 23.
The expansion of the research facility accommodates the growing need for more research on Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s and other life-threatening neurodegenerative diseases, according to Dr. Susan Steen, co-founder and president of Axiom. It also showcases Axiom Brain Health’s advanced technology for detecting early signs of memory impairment.
Axiom was acquired by the public benefit corporation Global Alzheimer’s Platform Innovations. Steen, now the principal investigator at GAP Innovations, said the team has more than doubled from six to 14 members since last year.
“One big focus for Axiom Brain Health and GAP is to spread the word and increase education on this disease. Alzheimer’s disease has been what I would call kind of a closet disease,” Steen said. “For a long time, people have been afraid of having that diagnosis, afraid of investigating whether or not their concerns about memory loss are normal or not normal. So, it’s not brought to the attention of health care providers.”
Steen said there is an emphasis on marginalized communities due to higher risk. Axiom aims to have 25% to 30% of clinical trials involve a diverse sample of participants.
“When you look at the research that is published and being done on Alzheimer’s disease — at least research studies that have been published, the drugs that have been approved — over 90% of the people who participate are white people,” Steen said. “That is not our world. We’re very interested in bringing people of diversity and all people into clinical research and into being diagnosed if they have a concern or their family has a concern.”
Axiom has also opened a swift neurologic assessment program or SNAP program, an innovative way for patients to get seen quickly.
“It takes six months, eight months, sometimes more than that, to get into a neurologist and geriatric psychiatrist,” Steen said. “We have opened a free memory screening clinic here at Axiom, so people can refer themselves. They don’t need a health care provider to refer them. It is totally free. Everything we do here is without cost.”
Within three weeks using SNAP, Steen said prospective patients can do memory tests, meet with clinical raters, cognitive tests, mini-mental state exams and a digital cognitive test with instructions given through a headset.
“We’re very interested in using digital technology [to streamline processes],” Steen said. “So we have five or six different digital tests that people would do on a tablet or computer or wear goggles and follow commands with their eyes to see if we can pick up early Alzheimer’s disease.”
Digital tests include tablet-based tasks, eye tracking with goggles and retinal scans (RetiSpec) to identify amyloid plaques in the eye. According to Steen, these tests aim to identify biomarkers and assess their accuracy compared to the gold-standard amyloid PET scan, potentially enabling early detection during routine eye exams by ophthalmologists and optometrists.
The refurbished site in Tampa nearly tripled in size from a one-suite, 1,700-square-foot space for a team of six to a three-suite, 3,900-square-foot facility, according to a release. It hosts 14 specialized research experts focused on finding therapies and cures for neurodegenerative diseases.
Steen said there’s still a lot of work to do, but the team is ready for the next era in research. Axiom has two drugs that are Food and Drug Administration-approved as disease-modifying agents, which are indicated for people with mild diseases, such as mild cognitive impairment or mild Alzheimer’s dementia.
“It is heartening to see the transformation of this research center that will expand Tampa’s access to the best clinical research the field has to offer,” John Dwyer, president of GAP, said in a statement. “Our hope is that the new setting will serve the needs of even more seniors eager to learn about their brain health.”