i-Function® LASSI-D™

i-Function® is a mission-driven company focused on helping older adults and individuals with cognitive challenges asses their situation and build the functional skills needed for greater independence and daily success. Cofounded in 2016 by healthcare entrepreneur Peter Kallestrup and professors Philip Harvey, Ph.D., and Sara Czaja, Ph.D., i-Function® combines research and technology to develop affordable, accessible cognitive assessment and training tools that make a meaningful impact.

Early detection of cognitive decline is critical, yet only 16% of seniors receive regular cognitive assessments, and over 90% of the 7.4 million Americans aged 65+ with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) remain undiagnosed. Most currently used neuropsychological tests often miss early MCI stages, while more accurate biomarker tools like PET scans or blood tests are costly, and not always available or covered by insurance.

Key Priorities Included: 

• Enable earlier, more accurate detection of MCI, potentially leading to Alzheimer’s Disease.
• Increase accessibility and affordability of cognitive assessments.
• Support emerging therapies by identifying at-risk individuals sooner

To address these priorities, i-Function® partnered with Lunavi to develop LASSI-D™—a digital screening tool designed to detect the earliest signs of cognitive impairment quickly, accurately, and cost-effectively.

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LASSI-D™ brings cognitive testing into the digital age with a clinically validated, cloud-based platform. Key features include:

• Speech-based Precision: High-accuracy voice recognition to accurately capture test results
• Bilingual Support: Support for English and Spanish to reach a broader patient population
• Efficient Test Analysis: Automated scoring and reporting, including digitally generated follow-up recommendations
• Clinically Validated: Proven Equivalency to the paper-based LASSI-L assessment
• AI Avatar Facilitator: Use of a human AI generated Avatar Facilitator to reduce clinic resource commitment and increase test-taker comfort

Built for efficiency and scale, LASSI-D™ equips healthcare professionals and researchers with the tools to identify early signs of MIld Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's, with the potential for more timely interventions.

Lunavi helped transform LASSI-D™ from a paper-based assessment, only used in specialty medical settings, into an accessible digital platform by:

• Delivering a secure, cloud-native environment built on Microsoft Azure.
• Improving speech accuracy from 94% to 99% using Google and Azure technologies
• Accelerating innovation with agile development and live performance feedback.
• Unlocking wider accessibility by supporting both clinical and remote environments

A New Era of Early Cognitive Health Detection

Together, i-Function® and Lunavi are redefining how early cognitive health can be assessed. By combining validated clinical insight with modern digital infrastructure, the LASSI-D™ enables earlier intervention, better outcomes, and greater access for those at risk of Alzheimer’s and MCI.

Check out or download the entire case study right here.

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