About Us

NeuroThera

NeuroThera is a medical device company building a multi-indication transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) platform for the treatment of neurological and psychiatric conditions. Our core technology delivers near-infrared laser energy non-invasively to targeted regions of the prefrontal cortex, stimulating cellular energy metabolism, improving cerebral blood flow, and restoring neural circuit function without drugs or surgery.

What makes NeuroThera’s approach distinctive is its platform architecture. A single device, a single therapeutic mechanism, and a software platform supporting six neurological indications, with the extensibility to address additional brain conditions as clinical science advances. As our understanding of photobiomodulation deepens, the addressable patient population grows without requiring a new device or a new platform.

Founded in 2015, NeuroThera is built on the scientific and intellectual property foundation of PhotoThera, Inc., whose team conducted the landmark NEST stroke trials — three studies, 1,410 participants. NeuroThera’s co-founder and CTO, Luis De Taboada, served as VP of R&D at PhotoThera and is widely recognized as one of the world’s foremost experts in transcranial laser therapy.

Our Mission:

“To build the world’s leading transcranial photobiomodulation platform — making non-invasive, drug-free brain therapy a mainstream treatment option for the most prevalent neurological diseases, and extending that reach to new indications as the science of light-based neuromodulation continues to advance.”

Why NeuroThera

  • Multi-indication platform: one device, one mechanism, six validated therapeutic targets — MDD, Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, TBI, MCI, and Post-Stroke Recovery
  • Designed for extensibility: the same core hardware and regulatory foundation can support new indications as clinical evidence develops
  • 22 issued patents (20 US, 2 Japan) and 13+ pending applications protecting the platform across indications and configurations
  • Three completed clinical studies with positive results; a fourth underway
  • Triple biomarker validation: BOLD fMRI, FDG-PET, and EEG — the only tPBM company with all three neuroimaging modalities confirming mechanism and effect
  • Zero serious adverse events across all clinical studies
  • Leadership team with deep expertise in FDA regulatory pathways, psychiatric medicine, DoD/VA channels, and payer strategy

Technology

A Single Mechanism. Multiple Brain Conditions.

NeuroThera’s platform is built on a fundamental insight: the same photobiological mechanism — near-infrared light stimulating mitochondrial energy production, reducing neuroinflammation, and enhancing neural circuit function — is therapeutically relevant across a wide range of neurological and psychiatric conditions. This is not coincidental. It reflects the underlying biology of neurodegeneration and psychiatric illness, in which mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and impaired cerebral blood flow are common pathological threads across many brain diseases.

By building a single platform around this mechanism, NeuroThera can pursue multiple indications with the same device, the same manufacturing process, and the same regulatory infrastructure — compressing the cost and time to address each successive indication while compounding clinical and commercial value.

How the Platform Works

The NeuroThera device delivers near-infrared (NIR) laser energy transcranially — through the skull — to stimulate targeted regions of the brain. Precise placement follows EEG 10-20 positioning standards (F3/F4 coordinates for psychiatric applications) to ensure reproducible therapeutic targeting.

The Photobiological Mechanism

Near-infrared light is absorbed by cytochrome c oxidase (Complex IV of the mitochondrial respiratory chain) in neural tissue, triggering a cascade of therapeutic effects:

  • Increases ATP (cellular energy) production in neural cells
  • Reduces oxidative stress and neuroinflammation
  • Enhances cerebral blood flow and oxygenation
  • Promotes neuroplasticity and synaptic function
  • Stimulates global cortical metabolic activity beyond the directly irradiated area

These effects have been independently confirmed across three neuroimaging modalities: BOLD fMRI (functional connectivity), FDG-PET (metabolic activity), and quantitative EEG — making NeuroThera’s platform the only tPBM company with triple biomarker validation. FDG-PET imaging has demonstrated metabolic changes across cortical regions beyond the directly irradiated site, providing biological evidence for the platform’s multi-indication thesis: one mechanism, system-wide effect.

Scientific Lineage

NeuroThera’s technology is grounded in the work of PhotoThera, Inc., whose NEST stroke trials — the largest transcranial laser therapy trials ever conducted — enrolled 1,410 participants across three studies. NeuroThera’s co-founder and CTO led that R&D program, bringing deep photobiomodulation expertise directly into the platform. Clinical programs are now conducted with Harvard/MGH, NYU/Nathan Kline Institute, and leading international academic medical centers.

The numbers

Major Depressive Disorder

20,000,000 +
Cases in USA
1 in 10
Americans take antidepressants
14 %
take drugs for 10+ years
Get in touch

Contact

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info@neurothera.com