Latest news with #Compumedics
News.com.au
5 days ago
- Health
- News.com.au
Compumedics' dual-helmet brain tech hits a nerve in China's neuroscience boom
China Brain Project rolls out neuro-AI push Compumedics dual-helmet MEG lights up Tianjin labs ASX health stocks surge deeper into China A few years back, China kicked off what might be one of the most ambitious science missions you've never heard of: the China Brain Project. This is a full-scale national effort to figure out how the brain works, fix what goes wrong when it doesn't, and use all that insight to build the next generation of artificial intelligence. Launched in September 2021, the project strings together 59 headline studies, backed by about RMB 3.2 billion ($680 million) under a framework cheerfully called 'one body, two wings.' The 'body' focuses on fundamental neuroscience, how we learn, think, feel and remember. One 'wing' tackles brain disorders like epilepsy, autism and dementia, aiming to improve diagnosis and treatment. The other 'wing' is all about brain-inspired tech: building machines that mimic how humans learn and adapt, rather than just crunching data the old-fashioned way. But to get from elegant theory to real-world breakthroughs, scientists need to see the brain in action. Not just its structure, but its split-second activity as thoughts, memories and decisions light up the neurons. That's where brain imaging comes in. MRI gives you high-res still shots of the brain's anatomy – useful, but static. MEG, or magnetoencephalography, is the opposite: it captures the brain in motion, recording real-time electrical activity down to the millisecond. MEG listens to the brain's own magnetic murmurs, but legacy systems come with two big drawbacks. One-size-fits-adults helmets leave a child's head rattling around like a pea in a tin, so the sensors sit too far from the brain and the signal fizzles. Even worse, most MEG systems burn through liquid helium to keep the sensors cold. And when that coolant runs low, the whole scanner has to shut down until a refill arrives, usually in the form of a specialised delivery, which isn't always quick or easy. China's new brain labs wanted something nimbler. Enter an Australian outsider. Compumedics lands world-first dual-helmet MEG Compumedics (ASX:CMP), a med-tech company based in Melbourne, spent nearly ten years developing a new kind of MEG system with its research partners at Korea's KRISS institute. The result is the Orion LifeSpan, a scanner that holds two helmets, one for adults and one for children, inside a single cooling chamber (called a dewar). It uses advanced, patented sensors known as DROS-SQUIDs to pick up the brain's magnetic signals with high precision. Unlike older systems that need constant helium refills, Orion recycles almost all its coolant, so it can keep running around the clock without shutting down. It also has a 'hyperscanning' mode, which can record the brain activity of two people at the same time. That's useful, for example, if you're studying how a child's brain interacts with their parent's during a shared task. Tianjin Normal University (TJNU) secured the first Orion in late 2024. After months of tests, the university gave formal acceptance and called it the most advanced MEG lab on the planet. 'The Orion LifeSpan MEG recently installed by Compumedics at TJNU has been a revolution in our ability to study mental processes of both children and adults, or even the two simultaneously," said Vice-President Professor Xuejun Bai. 'The system has already proven itself to be extremely sensitive, accurate and reliable.' TJNU researchers sat a four-year-old under the Orion LifeSpan MEG and fed 200 quick tones into one ear, while the scanner captured her brain's magnetic response. With the paediatric helmet snug to her scalp, the auditory peaks popped up about 90 milliseconds after each beep – clear, high-amplitude waveforms that lit the display like a studio-grade equaliser. Then the team simply rotated Orion's dual-helmet dewar to bring the adult dome into place, and ran the exact same test. This time the signals barely rose above the noise floor; the larger helmet kept the sensors centimetres farther from her brain, and most of the field strength bled away before it reached the coils. That side by side comparison, all on a single machine, delivered what Compumedics later called 'the first time a single MEG system had given high-quality scans for both children and adults.' Compumedics has proven that shortening the brain-to-sensor gap and boosting the signal-to-noise ratio can unlock the precision that paediatric neurology has long been waiting for. China's brain labs line up The TJNU showcase set off a modest domino run. Tsinghua University signed on, a second Tianjin facility followed, and Hangzhou Normal University ordered its own Orion LifeSpan package. The four contracts total roughly $20 million, with Hangzhou's unit slated for delivery in early 2026. Compumedics isn't claiming to own the market; it's simply first out of the blocks. MEG scanners are still rare in China compared with the country's vast MRI fleet, and Orion's dual-helmet design halves both the hardware bill and the room it needs, exactly the kind of maths provincial governments like as they race to build new neuroscience centres. None of it turns Compumedics into a household name overnight, but it does explain why four Chinese universities have already signed purchase orders. And as the China Brain Project accelerates, the real-time windows provided by MEG are likely to move from niche to mainstream. China becomes launchpad for ASX health plays With its sheer scale, ageing population and a government rolling out the red carpet for cutting-edge medical tech, China has become a proving ground that's increasingly hard for ASX health outfits to ignore. Compumedics isn't the only Aussie med-tech with serious skin in the China game. Telix Pharmaceuticals (ASX:TLX), for instance, is running several China-based Phase III registration studies. The ZIRCON-CP trial of its kidney-cancer imaging agent TLX250-CDx is being conducted at Beijing Cancer Hospital and other leading oncology centres, in conjunction with strategic partner Grand Pharmaceutical Group. The first Chinese patient was dosed late-2024, and the study remains active in 2025. Cochlear (ASX:COH) continues its three-decade clinical presence in China. In June, the company launched its Nucleus Nexa smart implant within the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, a government-sanctioned hospital hub that fast-tracks novel devices and collects clinical evidence for mainland approval. EZZ Life Science (ASX:EZZ), meanwhile, has quietly pulled off one of the sharpest China plays on the ASX, turning a niche Aussie wellness brand into a breakout star. In FY24, revenue surged 79% to $66.4 million, with a clean $10.4 million in EBITDA and zero debt on the books. And 80% of that cash came straight out of Greater China, thanks to a killer e-commerce strategy across Douyin, Tmall, Kuaishou and O'Mall, where its anti-ageing pills and children growth chews have become chart-toppers. Parents in China can't get enough of EZZ's kids' range, and the company just dropped a fresh $21 million deal to push into Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore. At Stockhead we tell it like it is. While Compumedics and EZZ Life Science are Stockhead advertisers, they did not sponsor this article.
Herald Sun
04-06-2025
- Business
- Herald Sun
Vital Signs: Compumedics
Don't miss out on the headlines from Stockhead. Followed categories will be added to My News. Vital Signs is a podcast series focused on investing, hosted by Senior Health and Biotech journalist Nadine McGrath. In this episode Nadine chats to Gordon Haid, the Global Neuro-Imaging Business Director of Compumedics (ASX:CMP), a medical device company focused on diagnostic tech for sleep, brain and blood flow monitoring. Founded in 1987, Compumedics' strategy was initially focused on developing its core competency, Sleep Diagnostics. The company even set up Australia's first ever fully computerised sleep clinic. Today, Compumedics has evolved into one of the world's leading suppliers of medical technology for sleep, neuro diagnostics and ultrasonic blood flow monitoring, with products distributed to clients around the globe, helping millions of people who suffer from debilitating sleep, neurological and other healthcare problems. This podcast was developed in collaboration with Compumedics, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing. The interviews and discussions in this podcast are opinions only and not financial or investment advice. Listeners should obtain independent advice based on their own circumstances before making any financial decisions. Originally published as Vital Signs Podcast: Breakthrough brain scanning technology overcoming diagnostic hurdles
The Australian
04-06-2025
- Business
- The Australian
Vital Signs: Compumedics
Vital Signs is a podcast series focused on investing, hosted by Senior Health and Biotech journalist Nadine McGrath. In this episode Nadine chats to Gordon Haid, the Global Neuro-Imaging Business Director of Compumedics (ASX:CMP), a medical device company focused on diagnostic tech for sleep, brain and blood flow monitoring. Founded in 1987, Compumedics' strategy was initially focused on developing its core competency, Sleep Diagnostics. The company even set up Australia's first ever fully computerised sleep clinic. Today, Compumedics has evolved into one of the world's leading suppliers of medical technology for sleep, neuro diagnostics and ultrasonic blood flow monitoring, with products distributed to clients around the globe, helping millions of people who suffer from debilitating sleep, neurological and other healthcare problems. This podcast was developed in collaboration with Compumedics, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing. The interviews and discussions in this podcast are opinions only and not financial or investment advice. Listeners should obtain independent advice based on their own circumstances before making any financial decisions.
Mercury
04-06-2025
- Business
- Mercury
Vital Signs Podcast: Breakthrough brain scanning technology overcoming diagnostic hurdles
Don't miss out on the headlines from Stockhead. Followed categories will be added to My News. Vital Signs is a podcast series focused on investing, hosted by Senior Health and Biotech journalist Nadine McGrath. In this episode Nadine chats to Gordon Haid, the Global Neuro-Imaging Business Director of Compumedics (ASX:CMP), a medical device company focused on diagnostic tech for sleep, brain and blood flow monitoring. Founded in 1987, Compumedics' strategy was initially focused on developing its core competency, Sleep Diagnostics. The company even set up Australia's first ever fully computerised sleep clinic. Today, Compumedics has evolved into one of the world's leading suppliers of medical technology for sleep, neuro diagnostics and ultrasonic blood flow monitoring, with products distributed to clients around the globe, helping millions of people who suffer from debilitating sleep, neurological and other healthcare problems. This podcast was developed in collaboration with Compumedics, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing. The interviews and discussions in this podcast are opinions only and not financial or investment advice. Listeners should obtain independent advice based on their own circumstances before making any financial decisions. Originally published as Vital Signs Podcast: Breakthrough brain scanning technology overcoming diagnostic hurdles
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Compumedics Achieves World-First Adult and Child Optimized Recordings from a Single MEG System
Compumedics has displayed significant magnetoencephalography (MEG) recordings optimized for pediatrics from the system successfully installed at Tianjin Normal University (TJNU) in China. This represents the industry's first such recordings made from an MEG system that is also suitable for adult measurements. MELBOURNE, Australia, May 15, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Compumedics Limited (ASX: CMP), a world leading supplier of innovative medical technology for patient monitoring, has in collaboration with Beijing Fistar and TJNU performed recordings of both adults and children. The site at TJNU is equipped with an Orion LifeSpan™ MEG. 'Most advanced MEG capability anywhere in the world' Professor Xuejun Bai is Vice President of TJNU, Head of the MEG Laboratory, Director of the Brain Functional Imaging Centre and former Director of the Chinese Psychological Society. He has published more than 300 scientific papers and has been awarded ten patents. Prof. Bai commented: "The Orion LifeSpan MEG recently installed by Compumedics at TJNU has been a revolution in our ability to study mental processes of both children and adults, or even the two simultaneously. The system has already proven itself to be extremely sensitive, accurate and reliable. My team have been hard at work doing MEG measurements, analyzing the resulting data and uncovering new neuroscientific findings. I can say without reservation that the Orion LifeSpan has given TJNU the most advanced MEG capability anywhere in the world." Ability to Accurately Scan Both Children and Adults MEG is a functional neuroimaging technique for mapping brain activity. It uses highly sensitive detectors to record the naturally occurring magnetic fields produced by electrical current flows within the brain. Because magnetic fields drop off very rapidly with distance, the sensors should be as close as possible to the sources of the brain signals. A child's small head in an adult size helmet results in sensors far from the brain, leading to small signals. A dedicated smaller helmet yields clearer and more accurate data. More precise data always leads to better research understanding and improved patient outcomes. World's First Recordings After installation of the Orion LifeSpan™ MEG at TJNU, a series of measurements were undertaken to demonstrate that the theoretical advantage of the system during pediatric recordings would be borne out in practice. Founder and Executive Chairman Dr David Burton commented: "These recordings represented the first time a single MEG system had delivered high-quality scans for both children and adults. This breakthrough was at the world's most advanced MEG lab at TJNU, which is equipped with a Compumedics Orion LifeSpan MEG system. "Compumedics has invested nearly a decade and many millions of dollars to develop the Orion LifeSpan MEG," he said. "The system represents a major leap in magnetoencephalography, with dual-helmet capability for pediatric and adult brain scanning, fully integrated with our gold-standard brain analytics CURRY software. "It's incredibly rewarding to see these efforts translating into strong initial sales, global interest and the potential for improved brain health, among both children and adults worldwide." A four-year-old female was presented with a series of tones and measured with both the adult and pediatric helmet. The results showed significantly stronger detection in the pediatric helmet. Localizations showed more precise determination of where the brain had been activated by the tones. The physics of magnetic field decay and the design philosophy of the Orion LifeSpan™ MEG were confirmed For more information about this study, the Orion LifeSpan™ MEG and Compumedics, visit: View source version on Contacts Dr. David Burton Executive Chairman, CEOdburton@ David Lawson Director, CFOdlawson@ Gordon Haid Global Neuro-Imaging Business Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
