AI.ble Therapeutics, a digital healthcare startup in Korea, said it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) to collaborate on early dementia detection.

AI.ble Therapeutics offers “Spick,” a mobile app that analyzes speech patterns using AI to detect mild cognitive impairment and early-stage dementia.

By examining subtle changes in speech that typically accompany cognitive decline, Spick enables early intervention and treatment. The app is already available as a paid service in select care centers and smart senior facilities in Korea, and it is undergoing regulatory clinical trials with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to obtain medical device certification.

Under the partnership, the two institutions will drive research into innovative business models for dementia diagnostics and digital therapies, aiming to make early detection more accessible and impactful on a societal level.

The collaboration will also explore the socioeconomic benefits of mobile-based early dementia screening, while NTU provides localization and marketing support to help “Spick” penetrate the Singaporean market. In addition, NTU will assist with regulatory and market analysis for other nearby Asian markets.

“Through this partnership with AI.ble Therapeutics, we see an opportunity to develop essential elder-care business models for the aging population,” NTU Professor Kwon Hyeok-koo said. “We hope to support Korean startups in expanding globally, using Singapore as a gateway.”