iMedicin: Early Diagnosis of Dementia Possibility Through Data and AI
Utilizing 'Reference Standards' of Standard Data Accumulated by Korea National Institute of Standards and Technology Over 8 Years


With the Data Three Laws passing through the National Assembly, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy introduced on the 12th a company that completed a medical device solution through data transactions.

iMedicin is a company that develops and manufactures medical device software. Recently, it developed 'iSyncBrain' in 2019, which analyzes brain waves to identify the possibility of mild cognitive impairment, a precursor stage to dementia.

This product measures brain waves, compares and analyzes them with brain wave data from healthy individuals, and provides early diagnosis of dementia risk. If diagnosis results indicate dementia risk, patients follow hospital guidance to undergo dietary therapy, medication prescriptions, and other treatments.

Previously, to identify mild cognitive impairment, MRI scans or MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment) tests were required, but these cost hundreds of thousands of won and take over an hour, making it difficult to conduct preventive screening.

If mild cognitive impairment screening becomes possible through brain wave measurement in the future, testing can be completed in 10 minutes for 20,000-30,000 won, allowing the general public to easily and accurately receive diagnosis of dementia risk. The accuracy of mild cognitive impairment screening through brain wave measurement is approximately 91%, compared to 81% for the conventional MoCA test.

The method of diagnosing brain diseases such as dementia by measuring brain waves has been recognized as necessary in domestic and international medical industries for several years, but an appropriate solution could not be developed due to insufficient brain wave data from healthy individuals.

To address this, the Korea National Institute of Standards and Technology accumulated brain wave data from approximately 1,300 healthy individuals starting in 2011, and in 2018, iMedicin received this data through a data transaction (paying a transfer fee based on the data's value and subsequently paying a portion of sales revenue as royalties), incorporated AI, and successfully developed iSyncBrain.

iSyncBrain passed clinical review by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in October 2019 and is preparing for medical device application. The company is making efforts in technology development, as it is expected that in the future, brain wave analysis will enable diagnosis not only of dementia but also of other brain diseases such as Parkinson's disease, ADHD, depression, and various addictions.

The Korea National Institute of Standards and Technology under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy has been accumulating reference standards since 2006. Reference standards are standard data officially certified by the state through evaluation of data accuracy and reliability. The institute operates 36 data centers and possesses a total of 100 types of data in fields including physics, materials, healthcare and medicine, and life sciences.

The accumulated data is disclosed to the general public through a homepage, and if data is to be used commercially, it can be utilized as a 'data transaction model' in the future by payment according to certain agreements.

Data accumulated as reference standards, including plasma properties, brain MR imaging, and meteorology and astronomy data, have been transferred to research institutions and startups.

Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Sung Yun-mo, who visited iMedicin on the 12th, stated, "With the passage of the Data Three Laws, the concept of de-identified information has been introduced, expanding the scope of personal information use, making future data accumulation and utilization easier," and added, "The ministry will support the discovery of new products and services utilizing data and AI, and make efforts to establish data transaction models."