Polish innovators win €1 million EIT Health grant for AI-powerd MoodMon

MoodMon, a project led by the Polish company Britenet Med, has been awarded €1 million in funding through EIT Health’s prestigious Flagship Call.  MoodMon stands out as an AI-driven monitoring tool to improve the management and treatment of chronic affective disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder.

MoodMon is an AI-based tool designed to provide continuous, objective monitoring of patients with affective disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder, which affect approximately 280 million people globally[1]. The annual direct cost of the depression treatment ranges from € 3,000 to € 5,000 per patient[2] and the average direct cost of Bipolar Disorder treatment amounts to € 6910 per year per patient[3]. These conditions are lifelong and often result in severe consequences, including a high rate of suicide, if not managed effectively. Traditional monitoring methods rely on self-observation and subjective reporting, which are often inadequate.

Unlike traditional methods that rely heavily on subjective self-reporting, MoodMon collects behavioural data from patients’ mobile devices and wearables. It leverages AI to predict potential mental state changes and promptly alert patients, psychiatrists, and caregivers. Clinical trials have demonstrated impressive effectiveness, with a sensitivity rate of 89.5% and a specificity rate of 98.83%.

This groundbreaking project brings together a consortium of leading institutions from Poland, Spain, and Sweden. They were all united through the Flagship Call of EIT Health, a network of world-class health innovators supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union.

“Our mission with MoodMon is to transform the management of chronic affective disorders,” said Małgorzata Sochacka – an idea of MoodMon originator and Product Manager at Britenet Med. “By offering a first-in-class solution that leverages objective data for mental health monitoring, we aim to enhance patient outcomes, reduce healthcare costs, and enable professionals to allocate their time more effectively. The funding and collaboration opportunities provided by the EIT Health Flagship Call dedicated to the digital transformation of healthcare are crucial steps in bringing MoodMon to more patients and healthcare providers across Europe. But we don’t stop here. We are pleased to deepen our collaboration by joining EIT Health as a partner. We are confident that this will enable us to connect with additional exceptional partners across Europe, fostering the exchange of knowledge and expertise to enhance the treatment of mental illness on a global scale.

A powerful consortium to drive innovation

The MoodMon project illustrates how cross-border cooperation works, as it is supported by a consortium of leading institutions across Europe. From Spain, partners include the Biomedic Research Foundation at Getafe’s Hospital, Fundació de Recerca Clínic Barcelona-Institut d’Investigacions Biomediques August Pi i Sunyer, Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, and Servicio Madrileno de Salud. Sweden is represented by the Karolinska Institute.. In addition to the consortium leader Britenet Med, the Medigent Foundation from Poland also plays a key role. The consortium has been established to carry out tasks aimed at obtaining the CE mark, conducting further clinical studies to confirm the effectiveness of the system, and demonstrating its economic benefits for healthcare. Additionally, the goal is to develop legal frameworks that would allow the retraining of AI-based devices without the need for full recertification.

EIT Health Flagship Calls: Pioneering Healthcare Innovation in Europe

EIT Health’s Flagship Calls are strategically designed to address Europe’s most pressing healthcare challenges by fostering collaboration among top-tier health innovators. With rising healthcare costs, fragmented data, and slow system adaptation, the need for innovation has never been more urgent.

“Our Flagship Calls are about catalysing collaborations that can make a real difference in European healthcare,” said Joanna Broy, EIT Health InnoStars Lead for Poland. “MoodMon is a prime example of what can be achieved when innovative companies like Britenet Med come together with leading institutions to address major health challenges. This project showcases the power of cross-border partnerships in developing solutions that are not only innovative but also scalable and impactful. We are excited to see how MoodMon will improve the lives of patients with affective disorders.”

For more information visit: https://eithealth.eu/programmes/flagship-hub/

[1] World Health Organization. Depressive disorder (depression).  Available at https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression (Accessed: 12 September 2024)

[2] Eden J-L. , Konnopka A. , König H., Kosten der Depression in Deutschland, https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/a-1399-4430

[3] Laidi Ch. (and others), Direct medical cost of bipolar disorder: Insights from the FACE-BD longitudinal cohort, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165032722002208