Photo of the Week: Eureka award finalist for mental health diagnostic innovation

The EVestigator team from the Monash Alfred Psychiatry research centre (MAPrc) and Neural Diagnostics Pty Ltd (NDPL), led by Professors Jayashri Kulkarni and Brian Lithgow, is shortlisted for the Eureka Prize for Excellence in Interdisciplinary Scientific Research. Winners will be announced on 26 August. 

In an industry alliance with NDPL, Prof Brian Lithgow’s EVestG invention was clinically evaluated at MAPrc. They have discovered for the first time that brainwave features recorded from the balance organ contain biomarker features that allow for an earlier, objective and more accurate diagnosis of mental and neurological conditions.  

In 2015, evidence was published in the World Journal of Biological Psychiatry on being able to classify those with major depression with over 80% accuracy within 1 hour of measurement using EVestG. 

The EVestigators L-R: 
Dr Daniel Heibert (NDPL), Dr Jerome Maller (MAPrc), Dr Caroline Gurvich (MAPrc), Mr Charles Hider (NDPL), Prof Jayashri Kulkarni (Director, MAPrc), Dr Roger Edwards (NDPL), Adjunct Prof Brian Lithgow (MAPrc) - Inventor and lead researcher, Mr Anthony de Castella (MAPrc)
See:

• Video
• Monash press release
• EVestG press release