Can Photobiomodulation Improve Brain Health? A New Frontier In Neuroscience Research - Dr. Neda Rashidi-Ranjbar, MD, Ph.D. - Unity Health Toronto - St. Michael's Hospital / Peter Adams, VP, Business Development, VieLight
What if one of the most intriguing Alzheimer’s interventions isn’t a drug…but light?
Light has long been recognized as essential for vision, sleep, and circadian rhythms - but could certain wavelengths of light actually influence the biology of the brain itself?
Recent research into photobiomodulation is exploring whether carefully delivered near-infrared and red light can improve mitochondrial function, reduce neuroinflammation, enhance blood flow, and potentially slow aspects of cognitive decline.
A newly published pilot study in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease ( https://www.vielight.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Vielight-University-of-Toronto-MCI-Publication.pdf ) reported improvements in memory and cognition among individuals with mild cognitive impairment following six weeks of non-invasive light therapy. While the findings are early, they raise fascinating questions about whether non-drug technologies could someday complement traditional Alzheimer's treatments.
Today we're joined by two guests approaching this challenge from different perspectives.
Dr. Neda Rashidi-Ranjbar, MD, Ph.D. ( https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=4y5SuLYAAAAJ&hl=en) is a physician-scientist, neuroscientist, and clinical research leader at Unity Health Toronto - St. Michael's Hospital ( https://unityhealth.to/locations/st-michaels-hospital/ ), where she leads a major neurodegenerative disease research program focused on mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Her work spans clinical trials, biomarkers, neuroimaging, cognitive testing, and translational neuroscience, helping bridge discoveries from the laboratory into patient care.
Joining her is Peter Adams, Vice President of Business Development at VieLight ( https://www.vielight.com/ ), who has spent decades commercializing innovative healthcare technologies following leadership roles with Intel, MaRS Discovery District, and numerous international technology companies. His work focuses on bringing photobiomodulation technologies from research into real-world clinical use.
Together we'll discuss the emerging science behind photobiomodulation, what we know about using light to influence brain function, how this research fits alongside today's rapidly evolving Alzheimer's therapies, and what the next generation of clinical trials will need to demonstrate as this approach becomes part of mainstream neurological care.
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