BRICS Centre for Industrial Competencies
Russian–Brazilian Innovation in Neonatal Care: A BRICS Success Story
International cooperation in healthcare technology is becoming a powerful driver of innovation, particularly within the BRICS framework. By combining engineering expertise, clinical leadership, and digital infrastructure, cross-border partnerships are helping to address some of the most urgent global health challenges.
One such example is the collaboration between the Russian medical technology company Neurosoft and Brazilian medical experts under the Protecting Brain and Saving Futures initiative. Together, they have developed and implemented an advanced neuromonitoring system for newborns with cerebral disorders, creating one of the largest neonatal monitoring networks in the world.
Today, more than 70 perinatal centers across Brazil are equipped with this technology, enabling real-time data analysis and expert consultation through a centralized cloud-based review center in São Paulo. The project demonstrates how technological innovation, combined with clinical expertise and strong international partnerships, can significantly reduce newborn mortality and disability.
In this interview, Alexey Ivanov, Chief Engineer-Developer at Neurosoft, shares insights into the development of the Neuromonitor system, the unique features of the solution, and the lessons learned from Russian–Brazilian collaboration.
Please introduce your company briefly and the solution you have developed
My name is Alexey Ivanov, I’m a chief engineer-developer in Neurosoft company. We are developing, producing and selling medical equipment from 1992. Today we are speaking about one of our product Neuromonitor. It is a system for neuromonitoring of newborn babies with different cerebral disorders.
What key problem does this solution solve, and what makes it unique?
Neuromonitor system allows doctors to understand the status of central nervous system of newborn patients and make timely decision about necessary treatment. This complex helps to reduce newborns mortality and disability. The unique feature of this system is that we have combined it with several other medical devices and connect all this devices to one network with central cloud storage and main review center in San Paulo. The medical experts from San Paulo can review any patient’s data all over Brazil in real time and can help to make a decision about treatment.
At the moment more than 70 perinatal center in Brazil are equipped with such systems.
How did the collaboration between Russian and Brazilian teams come about?
We have quite long relationships with our Brazilian distributor, Kandel company. We have met them at the International medical exhibition MEDICA in Dusseldorf, Germany at 2007. Kandel company is one of our main international distributor. In 2016 we have met young Brazilian Dr. Gabriel Variane, who become a father of Protecting Brain and Saving Futures project.
Now within the framework of this project we have equipped more than 70 centers all over Brazil and three centers in India.
What specific Brazilian expertise contributed to building this solution?
Dr. Gabriel Variane, who now becomes a world expert in neonatology, with his PBSF project play a main role in this collaboration. His ideas and energy move us forward. At the moment more than 20.000 patients monitored with this technology.
Now, when we collect the biggest in the world neonatal database, we are looking forward for developing AI algorithms for smart analysis of medical data.
How did cross-border collaboration within BRICS strengthen the final product?
Quite close collaborations between Russia and Brazil for sure help us to make this project real. Our distributor in this country is very strong. We export quite a lot of our equipment to Brazil. Not only Neuromonitoring systems.
What were the main benefits and learnings from working across two BRICS countries?
We have very open relationships with our Brazilian partners. This country is quite far from Russia in geographic point of view, but is very close to us mentally and emotionally. We have a well-organized system for certification and sales of medical equipment to this country.