AAT Research, a Malta-based health research and innovation company, announced today that it is expanding its operations into China. Speaking at a press briefing attended by Parliamentary Secretary for Research and Innovation, Youth & Sport Dr Stefan Buontempo, CEO Dr Adrian Attard Trevisan said that the company had recently signed an exclusive, five-year distributorship with Anseos Group, a leading Medical Sales Agency in China. The Chinese agent will distribute AAT’s patented technology, the Brain Music System and MENTe Headband, which together provide the first commercially-available aid for managing Autism Spectrum Disorder.
“The Chinese market is a strategic market for our medical technologies. Last March, Anseos managed the AAT stand at China Med 2013, a major medical instruments and equipment exhibition in China, and we started taking orders soon after. We exported our first headsets to China in April, and are now working to meet new orders and the increased demand,” said Dr Attard Trevisan.
The AAT autism aid is aimed at children. Dr Buontempo said: “AAT Research not only has developed an innovative product of immense value to the world medical community and public, but also shows us that local companies can use the islands as a viable base from which to foster world-class R&D and reach global markets.”
The Parliamentary Secretary and the government are working to inspire innovative potential within the Maltese industry. The government is working on various fronts to make this a reality by reducing the bureaucratic hurdles, expanding research funding opportunities, and tapping into new funding opportunities of the Horizon 2020.
In July, AAT will be introducing a proprietary mobile app that connects the MENTe headband to a mobile device or tablet. Dr Attard Trevisan explained that following invaluable feedback from the company’s first key customers in Malta, AAT has been able to improve its technologies to ensure they are as easy to operate as possible. “By enabling the headset to operate also through a mobile or tablet, the user experience will be significantly improved in terms of portability and accessibility. It will make both parents’ and children’s lives that much easier,” he said.
The AAT Autism Aid is FDA-approved and CE-certified as a medical aid. In 2012, the company was awarded the Malta Innovation Award for Technology for its work on MENTe and BMS. The AAT Autism aid is currently being used by an estimated 40 per cent of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Malta. AAT Research is also currently developing an Epilepsy Monitoring System which also uses MENTe technology. The system detects seizures prior to their occurrence and prepares the patient and next of kin for a response to the seizure.
AAT Research was set up in 2012. In March 2013, the company relocated its labs to the industrial estate in Marsa. Later this year, AAT will start manufacturing its own headsets on location in Malta.
The AAT Research team comprises scientists, engineers, researchers and designers with significant experience in managing internationally funded research projects. In conjunction with its development of cutting-edge medical devices, the company also provides neuromarketing services to universities and blue-chip companies, focusing on advanced sensory usability testing. AAT Research is a member and the Local Chair for the Neuromarketing Science and Business Association (NMBSA), AAT Research Ltd is bound by a the NMBSSA guidelines for Neuromarketing research and services, reflecting the highest ethical standards for the neuromarketing research industry.
For more information, please visit www.aatresearch.org or contact Ivan Grima on 21330588 or [email protected].