MYND Life Sciences, Inc.

Vancouver, British Columbia--(News - January 30, 2024) - MYND Life Sciences (CSE: MYND) (OTCQB: MYNDF) ("MYND" or the "Company") The Company is pleased to welcome Ms. Laurie Bakke who was recently appointed to MYND's Board. Ms. Bakke joins as an independent non-executive director, bringing over 30 years of experience in the banking and finance industry to the Board. Ms. Bakke has extensive experience in domestic and international commercial finance with expertise in strategic direction, financial performance, risk and opportunity assessment, and business development. Ms. Bakke has led finance divisions for both privately held and publicly traded banks in the United States and Sweden. She possesses the ability to transform businesses, to generate targeted business and financial returns and to build high-performing teams. Dr. Lyle Oberg, Executive Chairman of MYND states, "I extend a very warm welcome to Ms. Bakke. Her experience will bring significant value to the MYND Board and its shareholders." With respect to the proposed merger with Cava Healthcare Inc. ("Cava"), the Board of Directors formed a Special Committee to review the proposed transaction. Cava shares a robust, complementary business relationship with MYND as reflected in intellectual property assets, scientific expertise, and goals, that will allow a powerful approach to provide detection and new treatment options for several important maladies such as Alzheimer's disease, depression and cancer. For this reason, a strategic merger of the two companies offers a unique combination of strengths that will redefine the landscape of medical innovation and is a testament to the unwavering commitment of both companies to drive transformative advancements of these and other inflammation-related diseases. The Cava and Mynd management teams are working in concert to secure a bridge financing loan, up to $1,500,000, to facilitate the amalgamation and restructuring. Mr. Jay Campbell, MYND Director, President and Chief Executive Officer, states, "The proposed merger is well on its way to being realized and once completed will add significant value for both MYND and Cava shareholders." The combined company will initially focus on three specific areas that are in advanced development: Alzheimer's Disease: We are focused on repurposing FDA approved anti-angiogenesis cancer drugs for the treatment for Alzheimer's disease. Positive results in animal models have allowed us to rapidly move into a Phase 2B clinical trial. Diagnostic Biomarker and Treatment of Depression: MYND continues to develop a diagnostic biomarker with the potential to diagnose and monitor major depressive disorder (MDD), a growing global health concern. A clinical trial in Australia is currently underway to assess the biomarker performance in microdosing trials for treatment of MDD. Interleukin-33 ("IL-33") Biomarker for Cancer Monitoring and Prognosis: MYND continues to advance its development of an important immune-regulator for monitoring the transition of primary cancers to their metastatic form and is associated with aggressive disease progression. The plan is to assess its prognostic performance in a 10,000-patient clinical trial. MYND Life Sciences Inc. is a medical biotech drug research and development company focused on neuro-pharmaceutical and novel drug development, diagnostics and vaccines. MYND is developing new biological entities and new chemical entities and differentiates itself from other (bio)pharmaceutical companies by developing unique molecular approaches to treat and diagnose diseases. The Company advances pharmaceutical developments through rigorous science and clinical trials while diligently patenting and safeguarding its intellectual property. For more information please contact: John (Jay) Campbell Email: ir@myndsciences.com Phone: 403-671-0292 Web: To view the source version of this press release, please visit

Research conducted by Stanford University's Virtual Human Interaction Lab in collaboration with Mynd Immersive and AT&T 5G Healthcare PALO ALTO, Calif. and DALLAS, Nov. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Virtual Reality (VR) technology is not just for the young. It's paving the way for enhancing relationships between the aging population and their caregivers, as research from the Virtual Human Interaction Lab (VHIL) at Stanford University demonstrates. This research comes just months after the American Medical Association issued CPT codes that recognize VR for various therapeutic services, a major milestone for the growth of digital therapeutics. The study sought to understand older adults' attitudes towards new technologies, including virtual reality, and how professional caregivers felt about facilitating VR experiences for older adults. Research was led by Dr. Jeremy Bailenson, founding director of the VHIL and one of the world's leading experts on understanding and exploring individual behavior and social responses in VR, and Ryan Christopher Moore, Ph.D. researcher. "This study showcases how a tool which is typically associated with youthful entertainment has transformative applications in healthcare, particularly geriatric care," said Dr. Bailenson. "The response from both the caregivers and seniors has been quite positive, suggesting that VR can be a sustainable and beneficial tool in Senior Care communities." Key findings include that 81.5% of caregivers reported they enjoyed interacting with residents more while using Mynd Immersive (Mynd), formerly MyndVR than while doing other activities, and 94.9% said that using Mynd was moderately to extremely beneficial to their relationship with the resident. Similarly, 83% of residents reported that using Mynd was moderately to extremely beneficial to their relationship with the caregiving staff.   The study also found: 74.2% of the caregivers reported that the residents' mood improved after using Mynd, and 79.2% of the residents reported feeling more positive 57.9% of older adults reported feeling less isolated from the outside world after using Mynd While positive attitudes towards new technology often decline with age, the study population overwhelmingly felt positive about using VR and the decline in attitude was less than compared to other technologies like cell phones and voice assistants "Shared experiences in VR, like revisiting a senior's hometown or traveling to a place they've always wanted to see, can stimulate greater communication, bridge emotional gaps, and create deeper bonds," said Chris Brickler, CEO of Mynd Immersive. "We are experiencing explosive growth of our aging population, while simultaneously seeing a significant decline in available caregivers, so it's imperative that we create tools like Mynd that can help create a more enjoyable and fulfilling environment for both the cared and caregiver." Mynd has brought together a powerful consortium of industry collaborators to support this research and beyond, including AT&T, HTC VIVE, Select Rehabilitation, and some of the world's most innovative senior living communities, such as John Knox Village in Pompano Beach, Florida, Commonwealth Senior Living, Sodalis Senior Living, Long Island State Veteran Home and more. "We're entering a new era of delivering immersive, digital therapeutics," said Joe Drygas, Head of AT&T Healthcare. "The combination of XR experiences with 5G and AI will have a tremendous impact on the many ways we can provide top quality care for our elders and support their caregivers. The Mynd Immersive and AT&T collaboration is bringing the future of connected healthcare into sharp focus for older adults and their families." "We launched HTC VIVE with a belief that VR could positively impact humanity," said Cher Wang, Chairwoman of HTC. "This type of data from industry partners like Mynd and esteemed independent researchers, such as Stanford University, further supports our belief and moves the entire industry forward." Stanford's pioneering lab, focused on the psychological and behavioral effects of virtual reality, conducted a survey of 245 older adults and 39 caregivers in 16 Senior Care communities across 10 states. The study, the largest ever conducted on VR and older adults, was done in collaboration with Mynd, the leading provider of immersive therapeutic experiences for the aging population. The study has already won a "Top Paper Award" by the National Communication Association and will be presented at their upcoming annual convention. The paper has also been accepted by the journal, Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking and will be published later in 2023. About Mynd Immersive Mynd Immersive, formerly MyndVR, is the leading provider of immersive therapeutics for senior living communities, home care agencies, Veteran homes, and adults aging at home in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. Mynd is building the most advanced portfolio of original and licensed therapeutic VR content that enables older adults to interact with the outside world in innovative ways that promote engagement, wellness, and positive outcomes. Mynd also co-created DigitalTherapyNOW.org – a purpose-driven coalition of academic and industry partners designed to educate lawmakers and bring awareness to the Access to Prescription Digital Therapeutics Act of 2023. For more, visit MyndVR.com.  *About AT&T We help more than 100 million U.S. families, friends and neighbors, plus nearly 2.5 million businesses, connect to greater possibility. From the first phone call 140+ years ago to our 5G wireless and multi-gig internet offerings today, we @ATT innovate to improve lives. For more information about AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T), please visit us at about.att.com. Investors can learn more at investors.att.com. To learn more about AT&T Business and 5G Connectivity, please visit business.att.com. About HTC VIVE HTC VIVE is the premier virtual reality (VR) platform and ecosystem that creates true-to-life VR experiences for businesses and consumers. The VIVE ecosystem is built around premium VR hardware, software, and content. The VIVE business encompasses best-in-class XR hardware; VIVEPORT platform and app store; VIVE Enterprise Solutions for business customers; VIVE X, a US$100M VR business accelerator; and VIVE ARTS for cultural initiatives. For more information, please visit . CONTACT: [email protected] SOURCE MyndVR Inc.

Virtual and augmented reality are gaining wider acceptance in healthcare . While there are still challenges and deployment hurdles, more and more organizations are using AR and VR as the technologies evolve and the many benefits of tools that once may have sounded like sci-fi become apparent. A few recent announcements show just how AR and VR are catching on across an array of different use cases. Smileyscope VR cleared to treat pain The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Class II clearance to Smileyscope, a digital therapeutic that uses positive virtual stimuli to reduce pain and anxiety during medical procedures, the company announced on Monday. Previously, on September 25, FDA cleared the VR system for the drug-free, temporary relief of acute anxiety associated with needle procedures, Smileyscope said. The company holds a patent for Procedural Choreography, a proprietary technique that reframes real-world stimuli with positive virtual stimuli. According to the company's website, the device can be used for patients ages four and up. "Needle procedures can be very stressful for children of all ages," Dr. David Seo, senior vice president and chief information and digital officer for Nicklaus Children’s Health System, told South Florida Hospital News in July. He explained in the story that emergency department clinicians use Smileyscope for "artful distraction" and that families can request VR support to reduce children's discomfort and anxiety. "Our robust pipeline of drug-free pain and anxiety management treatments during common medical procedures spans children and adults," Dr. Evelyn Chan, CEO and co-founder, said in the statement. The use of VR goggles to provide children with high-tech diversion has been shown in previous studies to reduce fear and pain in children during vaccination . At Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, California, neurosurgeon Dr. Robert Louis told Healthcare IT News in September that VR shows its worth across a number of specialties . Beyond use in training surgeons, VR helps adult patients feel better prepared for surgery, he said. Enhancing senior-caregiver relationships A study conducted by Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab in collaboration with Mynd Immersive and AT&T 5G Healthcare, found that the benefits of virtual reality are not just for the young. Dr. Jeremy Bailenson, founding director of the VHIL and researcher Ryan Christopher Moore said their study shows how VR has "transformative applications in healthcare, particularly geriatric care." The researchers used technology from Mynd Immersive, formerly MyndVR, to understand how older adults feel about virtual reality and how professional caregivers feel about facilitating those experiences. Their survey of 245 older adults and 39 caregivers in 16 senior care communities across 10 states is the largest ever conducted on VR and older adults, according to Tuesday's announcement about the study's findings. "The response from both the caregivers and seniors has been quite positive, suggesting that VR can be a sustainable and beneficial tool in Senior Care communities," Bailenson said in the statement. The study found: 81% of surveyed caregivers reported they enjoyed interacting with residents more using VR than other activities. 94.9% said that using VR was "moderately to extremely beneficial to their relationship" with the patient, while 89.5% of senior care residents reported the same in their relationships with the staff. 74.2% of the caregivers reported that the residents’ moods were improved while 77.9% of the residents reported feeling more positive 57.5% of older adults reported feeling less isolated from the outside world after using VR during the study. HTC VIVE – a maker of 5G products including VR systems – Select Rehabilitation and senior living communities, like John Knox Village in Pompano Beach, Florida, also participated in the Mynd-sponsored research. "This type of data from industry partners like Mynd and esteemed independent researchers, such as Stanford University, further supports our belief and moves the entire industry forward," Cher Wang, chairwoman of HTC, added. The journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking has reportedly accepted the research study and is expected to publish it before the end of the year. VR training on Naloxone administration In 2019 and 2020, University of Pennsylvania academic researchers found that VR training was just as effective in educating people on how to administer Naloxone and then worked with local governments to use it in their efforts to drive down opioid overdose statistics. Also known as Narcan, Naloxone is an opioid antagonist that can reverse an opioid drug overdose by quickly restoring normal breathing. The researchers tested VR training against in-person Naloxone instruction at the Philadelphia Department of Health's training clinics. Then with grant funding from the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, the Camden County Board of Commissioners, Prosecutor’s Office and Addiction Awareness Task Force along with the UPenn's Schools of Nursing and the Annenberg School of Communications created the nine-minute immersive video to train students, staff and school administrators, bus drivers and other entities that carry Naloxone. They released the locally-tailored VR training video On October 27, according to an announcement from the prosecutor’s office. "Narcan is a critical tool in our battle against the opioid and overdose epidemic," Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said in the statement. "It is imperative that as many people as possible are trained in how to administer this life saving medication and this instructional video will help us do that," he added. Camden County is one of the hardest hit regions in the long-raging opioid epidemic. "Rarely do we get to see such an immediate lifesaving benefit to our research," said Sarah Banet-Weiser, dean of the Annenberg School for Communication, in the statement. "We are all so thrilled and proud that this innovative use of virtual reality can be used to efficiently and effectively train anyone to revive people who are overdosing." "What we think about here at Penn is not just what we can do in isolation but the impact we can have on our communities,” added Antonia Villarruel, dean of the School of Nursing. Andrea Fox is senior editor of Healthcare IT News. Email: afox@himss.org Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.