NeuroKaire and the EIC Accelerator: A Depression Test Launched

Only 37% of people with depression respond to the first antidepressant they are prescribed, according to the EIC project of Genetika+, a Tel Aviv start-up now called NeuroKaire. Its test converts a patient's blood cells into neurons, a "brain-in-a-dish", exposes them to a panel of antidepressants and uses AI to rank which drugs change the neurons most, combined with genetic screening.

The European Innovation Council granted €2,499,000 towards RxMine, a €3.6 million project from June 2022 to May 2025. The final report set the aim of raising the first-drug success rate "from 37% to 79% or higher", and lists expanded trials in the US and Israel and CE-IVD, HIPAA and GDPR compliance. In September 2025 NeuroKaire launched the test in the US as BrightKaire. We found no published study reporting the response rate patients achieved with it.

Where NeuroKaire Stands Now

In December 2024 NeuroKaire raised $10 million led by GreyBird Ventures, with Meron Capital and Jumpspeed Ventures. BrightKaire launched in September 2025 after the lab received certification under the US Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments; the company says it is reimbursed by several insurance plans including Medicare Part B, and blood is drawn at Quest facilities or at home. In October 2025 it agreed an R&D collaboration with Compass Pathways to test psychedelic compounds on patient-derived neurons. It publishes no test volumes or revenue.

The Technology: Testing Drugs on the Patient's Own Neurons

The company's research used cell lines from STAR*D, a depression study in which patients' responses to the drugs are known. A 2023 conference abstract by Genetika+ authors in European Psychiatry found 359 genes that differed between bupropion responders and non-responders and 12 for citalopram, with clustering in "high agreement" with the known response. It reports no accuracy figure. The test received a CE-IVD mark in October 2022.

What the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows

The objective promised to cut hospitalisations by 89%, emergency-room visits by 71% and depression-related healthcare costs by 40%. The final report lists an AI model combining DNA, patient history and neurobiology, a physician interface, compliance certifications, expanded trials and coverage of "more than 30 drugs". It gives no trial results. CORDIS still lists the project as signed.

1. AI prediction platformDeliveredPer final report.
2. Market launchDeliveredUS, September 2025.
3. 79% first-drug successNo dataNo outcome study.
4. Fewer hospitalisationsNo dataNot measured publicly.

The Money

NeuroKaire is private and does not publish accounts or revenue. Besides the EIC grant and the $10 million round, it has not disclosed its total funding. The EIC award was grant first; no EIC Fund investment has been announced.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

The EIC funded an Israeli company whose test carries a European CE-IVD mark, but whose commercial launch and headline announcements are in the US. The claims that justify the test, better response and fewer hospital stays, rest on research abstracts rather than published patient outcomes.

The Verdict

NeuroKaire and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.