2024-25 Advancing Brain Health Challenge

With support from Lundbeck US Charitable Fund, MATTER has launched the Advancing Brain Health Innovation Challenge to discover solutions that transform care for individuals with rare neurological diseases by tackling barriers like specialist access, referral systems, patient literacy and the speed of accurate diagnosis.

Every year, millions of people with rare neurological diseases encounter challenges in receiving timely and accurate diagnoses.¹ These challenges arise due to the complex nature of rare neurological disorders, limited specialized resources and a general lack of public awareness.¹ However, recent advancements in medical science and a growing commitment to improving the healthcare journey offer promising early steps toward overcoming these obstacles. With continued progress, enhanced diagnostic and treatment pathways have the potential to deliver quicker answers, improve quality of life and achieve better outcomes for individuals with rare neurological conditions.¹

Specialized care is key for those with rare neurological diseases, yet patients often face long waits for appointments or must travel long distances to see qualified providers.² Newly emerging approaches can make care more accessible for those affected by these conditions. Innovations in telehealth, for example, can allow patients to connect with specialists from their own homes, especially benefiting those in rural or underserved areas.² By enhancing referral systems and expanding telehealth options, the goal is to help patients with rare neurological diseases access the care they need, where and when they need it.

Patient and caregiver education is also a growing area of focus in neurological disease care. Navigating a complex medical condition can be daunting, especially with rare diseases that have specialized terminology.³ Digital tools that simplify medical language, offer information in multiple languages and provide interactive explanations can help patients understand their conditions and treatment options.³ These resources are designed to empower patients to take a more active, informed role in their healthcare decisions, making the journey less overwhelming and more collaborative.

Together, these advancements and more can make a real difference in the lives of those with rare neurological diseases, offering them a more supportive and inclusive healthcare experience.

This ten-week, cohort-based accelerator will provide participants with mentorship, exclusive resources and an interactive curriculum to help them build their solutions and accelerate their growth. Each participant will receive a $10,000 stipend upon completion of the accelerator. At the end of the 10-week accelerator, one participant will be chosen to conduct a validation study with a validation site.

Participants should expect to:

• Engage with other cutting-edge startups
• Network with peers and leading influencers
• Receive mentorship from industry leaders and subject matter experts
• Gain exposure to MATTER’s community
• Pitch to investors, health systems, providers and others
• Receive a $10,000 stipend upon completion of the accelerator
• Receive a free, six-month MATTER membership beginning at the conclusion of accelerator
• One participant will receive a validation study upon conclusion of the program

• We are looking for entrepreneurs dedicated to improving access to specialists, enhancing referral systems, advancing patient literacy, addressing technological and platform capabilities and accelerating accurate diagnoses in brain health.
• While the accelerator will apply this concept to better understanding the area of rare neurological diseases, entrepreneurs do not necessarily need to be focused on rare neurological diseases to participate in this accelerator.
• This global call for solutions is open to individuals and teams from across the innovation ecosystem — from university researchers, students and entrepreneurs to existing startups of all stages. Solutions can range from early stage concepts to marketed solutions.

Submissions will be evaluated with the following criteria in mind:

• Ability to clearly articulate the challenge statement addressed in the challenge description
• Quality, feasibility and scale of proposed solution or technology
• Differentiation of solution within the competitive landscape
• Capability of participant/team to develop and execute solution
• Ability of the solution to redefine care for people facing rare neurological diseases by addressing and overcoming barriers

Applications will be open from December 2, 2024, until February 2, 2025, at 11:59pm CT. By March 3, MATTER will select and notify up to five teams to participate in the accelerator. The program will be fully virtual with the exception of the final showcase, for which each participant will be required to be in-person at MATTER in Chicago, Illinois, on the week of May 5, 2025.

See the full Terms and Conditions.

If you are interested in learning more about any of the above opportunities to support the Advancing Brain Health Innovation Challenge, please contact casey@matter.health.

1. “Barriers to Rare Disease Diagnosis, Care and Treatment in the U.S.: A 30-Year Comparative Analysis,” NORD Rare Insights, 2020.
2. “Recommendations for optimal interdisciplinary management and healthcare settings for patients with rare neurological diseases,” Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases, 2024.
3. “Toward Improving Health Literacy in Patient Education Materials with Neural Machine Translation Models,” AMIA Joint Summits on Translational Science, 2024.

At MATTER, we believe collaboration is the best way to improve healthcare. The MATTER collaborative includes more than 1,000 current and alumni startups from around the world, working together with dozens of hospitals and health systems, universities and industry-leading companies to build the future of healthcare. Together we are accelerating innovation, advancing care and improving lives. For more information, visit matter.health and follow @MATTERhealth.

The Lundbeck US Charitable Fund is an independently managed nonprofit 501(c)(3) committed to responsibly and appropriately supporting organizations and programs that share our dedication to advancing brain health and transforming lives. The Lundbeck US Charitable Fund is wholly owned by H. Lundbeck A/S, a global pharmaceutical company specialized in brain diseases. For more than 70 years, Lundbeck has been at the forefront of neuroscience research, tirelessly dedicated to restoring brain health so every person can be their best.