Brooklyn, NY — Brooklyn Health, a neuroscience technology innovator, has raised $6.5 million in seed funding to enhance mental health assessments in central nervous system (CNS) clinical trials. The round was led by HealthX, with participation from Metrodora Ventures, Story Ventures, RiverPark Ventures, Laconia Capital, Everywhere Ventures, Hypothesis Studio, and Blue Falcon Capital.
Transforming Subjective Assessments with Objective Digital Tools
Brooklyn Health focuses on measuring mental health outcomes in clinical trial participants. Traditionally, CNS clinical trials have relied heavily on clinical interviews to assess treatment efficacy—methods the company identifies as subjective, hard to standardize, and prone to bias. These factors contribute to unreliable results and a high placebo effect, ultimately leading to elevated failure rates in drug development.
To address these challenges, Brooklyn Health has introduced Willis, an electronic clinical outcome assessment (eCOA) platform designed to bring accuracy, objectivity, and reproducibility to CNS trials. The platform integrates digital phenotyping, which the Journal of Medical Internet Research defines as the “near real-time data collection from personal digital devices, particularly smartphones, to better quantify the human phenotype.”
Willis Platform: Three-Part Solution for Digital Mental Health Measurement
Willis is composed of three interconnected tools:
OpenWillis: An open-source library providing a standardized foundation for digital phenotyping methods.
WillisPipeline: A customizable platform for organizations to collect and process behavioral data, converting it into clinically relevant metrics.
WillisAPI: An interface for digital health platforms to integrate validated measurement tools without needing to develop them independently.
CEO and neuroscientist Anzar Abbas explained the significance of the platform, stating:“Measuring treatment efficacy in neuroscience clinical trials is hard because of how subjective clinical assessments can be. Willis allows pharmaceutical sponsors to improve the accuracy and reliability of measures in their trials in a way they’ve never been able to before.”
The funding will be used to expand Brooklyn Health’s team, further enhance Willis’ capabilities, and accelerate commercial partnerships with pharmaceutical companies.
Broader Landscape of CNS Clinical Innovations
Brooklyn Health joins a growing list of companies innovating in the CNS clinical trial space. These include:
Grey Matter Neurosciences, which raised $14 million earlier this year to develop and test an ultrasound headset for Alzheimer’s patients, backed by Wittington Innovation Fund and others.
Lexeo Therapeutics, advancing gene therapies targeting rare and prevalent CNS disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease.
Neumora, focused on therapeutics targeting novel CNS pathways, pairing cutting-edge pharmacology with strategic insights.
IQVIA, which continues to support CNS trials with advanced analytics and technology.
TFS HealthScience, whose Neuroscience CRO provides specialized research support in neurology, psychiatry, and neurodegenerative diseases like ALS and MS.
Looking Ahead
Brooklyn Health’s launch of Willis could mark a pivotal shift in how mental health outcomes are measured in clinical trials—potentially lowering development costs, reducing placebo-driven errors, and accelerating access to effective CNS treatments for millions of patients worldwide.
“It’s thrilling,” Abbas said. “If we reduce barriers to drug development, we get closer to a future where patients get more targeted, precise, and effective care.”
