CatchU is a 10-minute digital assessment that measures simple reaction time in response to visual, tactile, and combined sensory stimuli. The app evaluates multisensory processing and provides recommendations based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s STEADI (Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths & Injuries) program.
“It is an honor to be selected as a winner in this competition and that our work aligns with the NIH’s mission to advance transformative science and improve health outcomes for older adults,” said Mahoney, Professor of Neurology and Chief of the Division of Cognitive and Sensorimotor Aging at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University.
“The prize that comes with this honor will afford us the opportunity to strengthen our leadership team, create deeper healthcare relationships to accelerate our commercial rollout, and showcase CatchU at premier medical conferences to drive visibility and traction of the product”
The NIA Start-Up Challenge organizers described the winning teams as “demonstrating outstanding innovation, scientific rigor, and commercial potential,” noting that the technologies address unmet needs in aging and represent future directions in aging research and care.
Falls as a growing public health concern
According to the CDC, nearly 30% of Americans over age 65 experience a fall each year, and more than three million older adults require emergency care annually for fall-related injuries. The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) estimates that 10,000 Americans turn 65 each day, with the older adult population expected to exceed 88 million by 2050.
CatchU® is an app that older people can easily use to monitor their risk of falling.
By 2030, annual U.S. spending on fall-related injuries is projected to exceed $101 billion, highlighting the need for improved fall prediction and prevention tools.
Mahoney noted that fall risk is often underrecognized in clinical care and can contribute to reduced mobility, loss of independence, and mortality. She also emphasized that many existing fall assessments rely heavily on self-reporting, which may be unreliable in individuals with cognitive impairment or dementia.
Development and research background
CatchU was developed following clinical observations linking impaired multisensory integration to poor motor outcomes. A clinical colleague requested that the assessment be adapted for smartphone use in clinic settings, leading to the development of the app.
Mahoney advanced CatchU through her startup company, JET Worldwide Enterprises Inc., which holds an exclusive license to patent-pending intellectual property from Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Research findings related to CatchU have been published in peer-reviewed journals, including Journal of Gerontology, Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, and Multisensory Research. The team also tested CatchU for detecting preclinical Alzheimer’s disease as part of the NIA competition.
Mahoney previously received $10,000 as a Stage 1 finalist in the Start-Up Challenge in 2025. She dedicated the project to her grandmother, Jean Sisinni, who died in 2021 following a fall.
Source: Stonybrook Univ Image credit: Vitaly Gariev/Unsplash
