Flow acquires Halo to further develop mental health treatments

Flow Neuroscience, creator of a medically approved brain stimulation device to treat depression at home, has acquired the assets of Halo Neuroscience, a US-based company developing brain stimulation technology to optimise performance and wellbeing. 

The acquisition of Halo’s technology, R&D and patents aims to advance Flow’s research into treatment for depression and other mental health disorders. 

Flow Neuroscience will build on the years of research that Halo has undertaken in conjunction with US universities, and will continue to build strong ties with the scientific community in the neuromodulation space. Applying this research, Flow Neuroscience intends to enhance its current medically certified tDCS headset for depression and will collaborate with clinicians to address other pressing medical needs such as rehabilitation and motor impairment. 

Daniel Mansson, CEO and co-founder of Flow Neuroscience, and clinical psychologist, said: “Our aim is to dramatically improve the lives of people who struggle with their mental health. Halo’s technology and academic research complement that of Flows’ in an almost magical way and will help us to take a very important next step on this journey together with our community of users.”

People diagnosed with depression have been found to have lower neural activity in the left frontal lobe, the area of the brain controlling cognitive skills and emotional expression. Flow’s headset uses tDCS to deliver a constant, low direct current via electrodes to stimulate neurons to that area. The headset is used in conjunction with Flow’s depression app, which is based on psychological research and neuroscience, guiding users through a series of personalised exercises informed by behavioural therapy. 

Halo’s patented tDCS headset stimulates the motor cortex, an area in the brain involved in the planning, control, and execution of voluntary movements. Over the past two years, Halo has been working with leading researchers including the Neural Engineering Group at The City College of New York and the Air Force Research Laboratory in Ohio to further develop its neuromodulation technology to improve not only movement, but cognitive performance and mental well-being. 

By acquiring Halo’s technology, Flow aims to progress its tDCS capabilities to be able to expand treatment to include mental health issues that are commonly comorbid with depression.

Erik Rehn, CTO and co-founder of Flow Neuroscience and neuroscientist said: “We are building on the technology Halo applied for the improvement of performance and well-being, which will revolutionise the application of tDCS for mental health disorders. By combining different neuromodulation techniques, we will be able to personalise treatments further to target brain regions with more precision. This will allow us to innovate treatments which are patient-specific and even more efficient and reliable. As we know mental health issues are as unique as the individual experiencing them, so further developing treatments that can target the precise areas a person is struggling with, will change the future of mental health treatment as we know it.”

Brett Wingeier, CEO and co-founder of Halo, who will be an advisor to Flow, added: "Flow is the best possible successor and a great home for everything we built at Halo with the help of our team, our customers, and our collaborators. We're looking forward to seeing Flow's research and technology advance the state of the art in neuromodulation and make an enormous impact on mental health worldwide with efficient, patient-specific, precision treatment."