NeuroBell hopes to nab US clearance for its AI neonatal monitor Luna this year.

Cork medtech NeuroBell has raised $5.5m in a round led by Elkstone to support the US push for its AI neonatal brain monitor. Not-for-profit Parkview Health, Furthr, Atlantic Bridge, Medtech Syndicate and Enterprise Ireland (EI) supported the raise.

NeuroBell co-founder and CEO Mark O’Sullivan nabbed last year’s EI High-Potential Start-up (HPSU) Founder of the Year title.

He founded the University College Cork spin-out in 2023 alongside Dr Alison O’Shea and Colm Murphy, following nearly a decade of academic research into newborn brain health and AI-powered diagnostics.

NeuroBell’s AI monitor ‘Luna’ is capable of detecting seizures in newborns, a condition that generally produces no visible symptoms for ICU staff to catch. A lack of detection and treatment heightens risk for long-term brain damage in infants.

The pocket-sized, wireless electroencephalogram (EEG) enables bedside seizure detection with AI-assisted analysis and remote reviewing capabilities. The new raise will help NeuroBell work towards clearing Luna for use in the US in the coming months, the start-up said.

“Luna exists to put clinical-grade brain monitoring in the hands of every NICU [neonatal intensive care units] team, wherever they are. This investment gives us the resources to scale that vision to patients in the US and across Europe,” CEO O’Sullivan said.

NeuroBell recently established an US office in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It said that the investment from Parkview – a US community-based health system operating 15 hospitals with more than 17,500 staff – reinforces an existing partnership between the two.

“We are committed to bringing innovations to the bedside that help us detect and respond to conditions like seizures as early as possible,” said Parkview Health paediatric neurologist Dr Atiya Khan.

“NeuroBell’s technology represents a meaningful step forward in improving how we care for our most vulnerable patients.”

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