NEUROBLAST: IT support for the nervous system

Marko Grujić, one of the founders of the NeuroBlast startup, had a strong personal motivation for creating a device that can improve the quality of life for people with neurological diseases.

Markо’s wife and Neuroblast’s CEO Marija was affected by multiple sclerosis — a neurological disease characterized by the process of demyelination of the spinal cord and brain. Together, they developed NeuroBlast hoping to enable Marija an easier treatment in the advanced stage of the disease and a quick post-rehabilitation in home conditions.

“The concept of neuroplasticity is relatively new and represents the future in many fields of medicine and post-rehabilitation physical therapy,” explains Marko.

There are currently 2,800,000 people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and every five minutes, one person gets this diagnosis. For now, there is no medicine that cures this disease, only medications that slow it down. Physical exercises are also a proven method of slowing down the course of the disease. Thus, in the rehabilitation process, exercise lasts a lifetime.

The team of experts gathered in the NeuroBlast startup has a mission to provide all patients with daily exercise in an exciting and motivating way through gamification.

This multisensory device allows the damaged function of one part of the brain to be taken over by another group of neurons, creating new neural pathways. Connecting with modern video games provides better visual stimulation and motivation, which is crucial for neuroplasticity.

Along with visual stimulation and video games, NeuroBlast encourages the repetition of movements of damaged limbs and, at the same time, provides mutual interaction between users that strengthens socialization and mental health.

The device is platform-independent — it can work on any computer, phone, and all operating systems. It also has telemetry that allows the user to track their progress.

“With constant device improvement and video game development, our team’s goal is to become a global leader in post-rehabilitation devices,” pointed out Marko.

The biggest challenge that NeuroBlast faced was starting mass production. For this undertaking, it is necessary to expand capacities and improve operations. Accelerated development was made possible by their participation in the Katapult acceleration program.

“This is not the first accelerator in which we have participated, but when we got the information, we concluded that it is the best program so far that I can apply for because apart from financial support, it also provides mentoring support, which is valuable to us,” says Marko.

NeuroBlast is not a typical IT product — it is a connection of devices and software that enables effective treatment with neuroplastic. The team is working intensively on collecting additional investments to make this device available to everyone who needs it. The advice of the Katapult mentors helped the NeuroBlast team develop sales channels and improve devices and video games.

Currently, there is great interest in this IT device from various clinics dealing with rehabilitation, but above all, it is expected to be tested in the Clinical Center of Serbia.

To reach as many potential users as possible, this team of experts is dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of rehabilitation and exercise for people with multiple sclerosis.