Locket Healthcare "Aiming to Lead the Metaverse Market with Harvard Co-developed Brain Disease Assessment and Cognitive Products"

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyungsoo Park] Rokit Healthcare, a global company specializing in ultra-personalized organ regeneration, is attracting attention from the medical and related industries by developing a platform that digitally evaluates brain-related diseases and injuries.

Rokit Healthcare announced on the 11th that it is currently pursuing approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to officially launch React Neuro, co-developed with neuroscientists from Harvard Medical School, in South Korea in the first quarter of next year.

React Neuro is a virtual reality (VR)-based digital cognitive function assessment software. It was developed to enhance the accuracy of evaluations by adding eye tracking, voice recognition, and motion detection functions in a virtual reality environment to the conventional cognitive assessment tests, aiming to evaluate brain health in advance, similar to how blood pressure tests are conducted.

Rokit Healthcare is a global ultra-personalized organ regeneration company led by CEO Seokhwan Yoo, formerly of Celltrion. Founded in 2012, the company develops various medical platforms based on 3D bio-printing technology.

In the field of regenerative therapy, it has progressed to the stage of printing extracellular matrix (ECM) derived from autologous tissue using bio-ink and applying it to treat diabetic foot ulcers, cartilage, kidneys, and more. Impressive results have been achieved in preclinical studies on ultra-personalized customized skin regeneration, cartilage regeneration, and kidney regeneration. Additionally, the company plans to expand its development scope to various organ regenerations including heart, liver, and lungs.

Rokit Healthcare is also focusing on the brain field. A company representative stated, "The brain is the most important organ in our body, but there is currently no equipment to check brain function in advance and prevent it from developing into diseases." They added, "We are striving to provide solutions not only for age-related brain diseases and cognitive decline caused by stress or depression but also for undetected brain health issues."

The Brain Division of Rokit Healthcare developed React Neuro to easily assess patients' brain health at a low cost, prevent the progression to major diseases, and improve patients' medical accessibility. They focused on reviewing various cognitive assessments, digitizing them, and enhancing user experience in diverse evaluation environments.

Seol Yujin, head of the Brain Division, said, "Most people know that cholesterol and blood pressure are important factors in managing heart health, but there is no way to quantify and manage the brain." She introduced React Neuro as "a VR-based software that makes this possible by combining eye tracking, voice recognition, and motion detection to provide a comprehensive brain health assessment."

It is already known that human brain pathways are related to vision and eye movement. React Neuro has developed a scientifically validated vestibulo-ocular reflex assessment that captures subtle changes and abnormal responses in the brain through the eyes in a VR environment. This allows detection and identification not only of cognitive decline but also of traumatic brain injuries. Voice is one of the most representative signals for checking the brain's cognitive areas. The company explained that through voice-based assessments, cognitive decline in key brain areas such as long-term memory, executive function, and working memory can be identified, providing comprehensive brain health results.

The greatest advantage of React Neuro is its ability to quantify and objectify results. VR-based cognitive function assessments show very high test-retest reliability. Unlike traditional cognitive assessment tools whose data reliability depends on the environment and conditions at the time of evaluation, virtual reality always provides a consistent environment.

Seol Yujin said, "Traditional cognitive assessments use voice-based methods relying on a single biometric signal, but by introducing virtual reality, it is possible to combine multiple biometric signals to provide a comprehensive evaluation environment."

Rehabilitation medicine specialist Dr. Jaewook Yoo explained, "Degenerative brain diseases are important to detect early and manage properly to slow disease progression, but MRI, which is used to diagnose brain-related diseases, can only diagnose after the disease has occurred."

Dr. Yoo said, "Using VR-based equipment to measure cognitive decline and traumatic brain injury makes it possible to assess these conditions," adding, "It can be used as an auxiliary device to provide appropriate treatment to patients based on quantified data for each individual patient, whether their condition is worsening or improving."

He added, "In the near future, it is expected that VR equipment will be placed in each household, enabling health management and remote medical care," and "The emergence of the metaverse is expected to accelerate the spread of digital medical platforms."

A company representative emphasized, "As the virtual reality industry is gaining attention as a future-oriented industry in the medical field, major global companies are strengthening related research, development, and investment."

Seol Yujin, head of the Brain Division, expressed concern, saying, "Brain health management is important for the body to function properly. When brain fatigue accumulates and stress or depression persists, cognitive function declines and can lead to brain diseases such as dementia."

She stated, "We plan to develop not only cognitive function assessment but also training and improvement programs, as well as mental health management programs to manage stress and depression, evolving React Neuro into a comprehensive brain health management platform," adding, "If React Neuro expands into the metaverse, it will be possible to quickly secure market leadership.”