As the population ages, the number of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a precursor to dementia, continues to rise. However, pharmaceutical treatments that can effectively slow this progression remain limited. Emocog has stepped in to fill this critical gap.
According to industry sources, including the Korea Medical Device Development Fund, Emocog was co-founded in 2021 by Dr. Lee Jun-young, a professor at Seoul National University School of Medicine and a psychiatrist at Boramae Hospital, along with Dr. No Yu-heon, a former anatomy professor at Chung-Ang University, and Dr. Yoon Jeong-hye, a professor at CHA University.
Many experts have criticized the current approach to dementia care, noting that early screening, diagnosis, treatment, and management often occur in isolation. This fragmented system can cause patients to miss crucial opportunities for timely intervention.
To address these structural issues, Emocog has reimagined the dementia care process. The company has developed a seamless medical journey that progresses from early screening to precise diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing management.
Emocog’s key solutions include CogScreen, the Simoa platform, Cogthera, and CogCheck. Among these, Cogthera stands out as the flagship product. It’s the first digital therapeutic device approved in South Korea for MCI, designed to allow patients to engage in cognitive intervention therapy in their daily lives under medical supervision.
Through government-sponsored initiatives, Emocog has made significant strides in research, clinical trials, and regulatory approvals for Cogthera. In a testament to their progress, Dr. No Yu-heon, co-Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and lead researcher for the Cogthera project, received the Korea Industrial Technology Planning and Evaluation Agency Director’s Award at the 2025 Multi-Ministerial Medical Device Research and Development (R&D) Awards last year.
Cogthera is gaining traction in medical settings across South Korea, including major tertiary hospitals. Dr. Lee Jun-young, co-CEO, reported that since receiving approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Cogthera has been successfully implemented in clinical practice.
Beyond its commercial offerings, Emocog is spearheading the Korean ARPA-H Project, a national strategic R&D initiative organized by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Health Industry Development Institute. This ambitious project boasts a research budget of approximately 15.9 billion KRW (about 10.5 million USD).
The project aims to develop cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) technology for brain health that can predict risks and enable proactive interventions. It uses brain age and cognitive reserve as key indicators, drawing on international research suggesting that maintaining a brain age just one year younger than chronological age can reduce dementia risk by about 13%.
To achieve this goal, Emocog is constructing an AI foundation model that integrates and analyzes multimodal data, including brain imaging, genomic information, and cognitive assessments. The project involves collaboration among multiple research teams.
Building on its clinical experience and partnerships with major South Korean medical institutions, Emocog is now expanding its collaborations with global biotech and healthcare companies in diagnostics and treatment.
In 2022, the company established Cogthera GmbH, a subsidiary in Germany, to navigate European medical device regulations (MDR) and pave the way for Cogthera’s entry into the European market. Leveraging its expertise in clinical trials, regulatory affairs, and business development in South Korea, Emocog aims to expand its comprehensive cognitive care model globally, encompassing both digital therapeutics and blood-based diagnostics.
Industry experts note that digital therapeutics offer a cost-effective approach to managing and preventing age-related cognitive decline, with expenses far lower than traditional labor-intensive interventions. They anticipate that as older adults become more comfortable with digital technology, the usability of these solutions will improve dramatically.
