NightWare, the Minneapolis-based company that uses Apple technology to gently interrupt the nightmares of those who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, recently secured $1 million in investments and additional funding through an innovation grant from the U.S. Air Force.
The funds will be applied to commercial development and completing randomized clinical trials of the product, said CEO Grady Hannah. Hannah did not disclose the amount of the Air Force small-business innovation research grant.
The company previously raised $2.3 million in equity investments, and $100,000 from the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs.
In 2019, NightWare received "breakthrough therapy designation" from the Food and Drug Administration for its development-stage technology. Last fall, the company began to commercialize its "NightWare'' product as an economical alternative to drug treatments.
Funding its clinical trial is an important step in the company's growth, Hannah said. Upon receiving clearance from the FDA, NightWare's treatment was studied in a 30-day randomized trial of 70 patients. Hannah said the company is looking to gather data from as many as 240 patients.
"The larger the trial, the more generalizable the data is," he said. "If we reach statistical significance we can publish data in a peer-reviewed journal, which is the ultimate goal."
Publishing the data in a respected journal is helpful because it gives confidence to the research community and physicians to support the use of NightWare. Hannah anticipates completing clinical trials in the next 12 to 15 months.
Tyler Skluzacek created NightWare for a 2015 technology innovation contest when he was a Macalester College student. His father, a member of the Minnesota National Guard, was disabled by PTSD after returning from a combat deployment to Iraq in 2005 and 2006.
