OBI's CORTEX: Scaling neurotechnology in communities

29 juillet 2025

Beyond the Lab: Scaling Wearables for Real-World Impact through Partnerships and Implementation

Presented at the 2025 Alzheimer's Association International Conference, the world's largest forum for the dementia research community.

The Challenge: Despite advances in wearable technologies and digital health tools, there's a significant gap between development and real-world adoption—especially for technologies that could transform dementia care and support aging individuals.

The Solution: The Ontario Brain Institute's CORTEX (Community-led Real-world neuroTech EXperience) program flips the traditional approach by putting communities at the center of neurotechnology testing and implementation.

How CORTEX Works:

• Partners directly with community organizations, patient groups, and technology companies
• Co-designs solutions with people who have lived experience
• Tests technologies in real-world settings where they'll actually be used

The Results So Far:

✅10 community partnerships engaging 1,433+ individuals

✅ Successful pilots including seizure-tracking wearables, concussion recovery apps, and retinal scans for Alzheimer's detection

✅ Canadian Dementia Registry launched with Alzheimer Society of Ontario

Key Innovation: The Canadian Dementia Registry leverages existing community assessment programs, adding digital cognitive assessment tools to help identify individuals who should be prioritized for dementia care—filling critical early detection gaps.

The Impact: CORTEX is proving that when you start with community needs and lived experience, technology adoption follows naturally.

> LEARN MORE ABOUT CORTEX