Bell Therapeutics, a developer of sonification-based digital therapeutics (DTx), announced on the 17th that it has established a multi-faceted partnership with Ewha Womans University's Department of Music Therapy, which has been conducting clinical research centered on university hospitals.

Through this collaboration, Bell Therapeutics has secured a testbed for sound-based therapeutic validation and a clinical infrastructure, enabling the company to focus on developing pipelines that address practical challenges in medical settings.

Bell Therapeutics is developing a second-generation DTx that activates specific brain areas through software. Unlike first-generation DTx, which typically require 4 to 9 weeks of treatment, the second-generation DTx replicates drug mechanisms via software to deliver immediate effects within 30-60 minutes.

Jonghwa Park, the founder of Bell Therapeutics, stated, "Our goal is to propose a new treatment method for brain disorders, starting with a focus on insomnia. In psychiatry, insomnia patients are usually prescribed sleep medication or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), but sleep aids have significant side effects, and CBT requires a lengthy treatment period. The moment a breakthrough alternative emerges, the sleep tech and psychiatric markets will see explosive growth." Park added, "Our proprietary sonification technology will enable us to present a new, side-effect-free DTx concept that stimulates the brain."

Park, a graduate of the composition program at Seoul National University and holder of a master’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the same institution, previously conducted research in computational neuroscience and brain-computer interface (BCI) at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST). He founded the Brain Music Lab, where he has developed sound and EEG signal processing technologies, which now underpin Bell Therapeutics’ second-generation DTx and include two patented technologies.

Professor Hyun-joo Jung, Director of the partnership at Ewha Womans University’s Department of Music Therapy, stated, "The key potential of a sonification-based DTx, which operates without language, lies in its high scalability. Unlike CBT, which relies on verbal interventions, sonification-based DTx can transcend age, culture, and intellectual levels, allowing rapid entry into international medical markets. The U.S. and Europe already see sound-based therapies integrated within medical systems, particularly in university hospitals, so Bell Therapeutics' sonification-based therapy, which advances beyond traditional sound and music therapy concepts, is expected to gain substantial traction in global markets."

Ewha's Department of Music Therapy is an institution known for advancing evidence-based music therapy research to an international level, focusing on integrating rapidly evolving technologies with traditional music therapy to expand into sound-based treatments required in the future medical industry. Through this partnership with Bell Therapeutics, the department anticipates accelerating the development of innovative DTx mechanisms by actively connecting its domestic and international research and clinical networks.

Meanwhile, Bell Therapeutics, the first to propose the concept of second-generation DTx, has developed the foundational technology and prototype. In partnership with Professor Ki-young Jung at Seoul National University Hospital, Bell Therapeutics is accelerating product advancement and, through its collaboration with Ewha Womans University's Department of Music Therapy, aims to contribute to the digital therapeutics ecosystem, advancing the medical industry and fostering academic talent in relevant fields.