Pixie Dust Technologies, Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Presidents: Yoichi Ochiai and Taiichiro Murakami; hereinafter "PxDT") and Shionogi & Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Osaka; Chairman and CEO: Isao Teshirogi; hereinafter "Shionogi Pharmaceutical"), which are engaged in research and development and commercialization in the field of diversity and healthcare, have jointly developed a sound that may be able to care for cognitive functions while living in daily life called "Gamma wave sound." We are pleased to announce that we have won the Gold Award and the ICC Summit Award in the Creative Innovation category of ACC TOKYO CREATIVITY AWARDS * 1.

◆About gamma wave sound

Since 2021, PxDT and Shionogi Pharmaceutical have been engaged in joint research to develop new services that focus on changes in brain rhythm activity caused by sensory stimulation*2. "Gamma wave sound" jointly developed by Shionogi Pharmaceutical and PxDT is a sound that has the potential to be used for cognitive function care while living daily life by applying 40Hz modulation to sounds such as TV and radio in real time. The frequency of 40 Hz is the same band as the brain wave "gamma wave" that appears when a human is thinking about problem-solving such as memory and reasoning. When cognitive dysfunction occurs, has been reported that the specific rhythm activity (gamma wave) of the brain is less present *3. Research results have improved cognitive function in mice by presenting sounds with a 40Hz cycle, and results suggesting suppression of cognitive deterioration and suppression of brain atrophy have been obtained in clinical trials targeting humans. The sound of the 40Hz cycle is attracting worldwide attention *4. On the other hand, the 40Hz sound used in previous research is a monotonous pulse sound that cannot include audio information, etc., and may be difficult to incorporate it into daily life. In order to solve this problem, Shionogi Pharmaceutical and PxDT have developed "gamma wave sound" using gamma wave modulation technology, a special technology that can perform 40Hz modulation in real time on sounds such as TVs and radios.

◆ACC Tokyo Creativity Awards

ACC TOKYO CREATIVITY AWARDS is an award for creatives in all fields, and is one of the largest awards in Japan, the predecessor of the advertising award "ACC CM FESTIVAL" that has been held since 1961. The Creative Innovation category recognizes projects and businesses that are innovative, creative, and have the potential to change the world. In addition, the ICC Summit Award is one of the "CI PARTNERS Awards" sent by partner companies in the Creative Innovation category for activities that are judged to be excellent in terms of innovation and usefulness.

PxDT and Shionogi Pharmaceutical will continue to work toward providing new solutions to solve the problems of patients and society by further promoting evidence building and joint research for "brain activation and cognitive function improvement through sound stimulation".

■About Shionogi & Co., Ltd.

Shionogi Pharmaceutical identifies "contribution to a healthy and prosperous life" as one of the important issues (materiality) to be addressed. We will continue to strive to deliver innovative treatments for cognitive dysfunction, which has a high unmet medical need, to patients, and contribute to improving the quality of life of patients with mental and nervous system diseases and their families.
URL: https://www.shionogi.com/jp/ja/

■Reference

1. ACC TOKYO CREATIVITY AWARDS Creative Innovation Division
2. September 21, 2022 press release
About the conclusion of a business alliance agreement for the start of brain activation business through sound stimulation by three companies, Pixie Dust Technologies, Shionogi Healthcare, Shionogi Pharmaceutical
3. Herrmann, CS, & Demiralp, T. (2005). Human EEG gamma oscillations in neuropsychiatric disorders. Clinical neurophysiology, 116 (12), 2719-2733.
4. Martorell, AJ (2019). Multi-sensory gamma stimulation ameliorates alzheimer's-associated pathology and improves cognition. Cell. 177 (2), 256-271.e22.

■Inquiries regarding this matter

Pixie Dust Technologies, Inc. PR team
Contact : https://pixiedusttech.com/contact/