Aclarion, Inc. (Nasdaq: ACON, ACONW), a commercial-stage healthcare technology company, announced on May 6, 2026, that its compensation committee granted an inducement stock option to Daniel Keefe, the company's recently-hired Commercial Director for the Western U.S. The option to purchase 17,000 shares of common stock was granted on May 5, 2026, as a material inducement for Keefe to join Aclarion, in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4).
The stock option has an exercise price of $3.20 per share, equal to the closing price on the grant date. Vesting occurs over a four-year period: one-fourth of the options vest on the first anniversary of the vesting commencement date, with the remainder vesting in equal monthly installments over the subsequent three years, contingent upon continued service. The option carries a 10-year term and is governed by an inducement stock option agreement.
This grant underscores Aclarion's expansion of its commercial team, particularly in the Western U.S., driven by rising demand for the Nociscan platform. Nociscan is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform that uses magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), biomarkers, and proprietary augmented intelligence algorithms to help physicians identify painful discs in the lumbar spine, addressing chronic low back pain. The company reports triple-digit growth in utilization of Nociscan, indicating increasing adoption among healthcare providers.
Aclarion's technology leverages MRS data from MRI machines, processed via cloud-based signal processing to quantify chemical biomarkers associated with disc pain. These biomarkers are then analyzed by proprietary algorithms to indicate whether a disc may be a pain source, offering critical insights for optimizing treatment strategies. For more information, visit www.aclarion.com.
The expansion of the commercial team in the Western U.S. positions Aclarion to capture more market share in the chronic low back pain diagnostic space. As the first evidence-supported platform to noninvasively differentiate painful from nonpainful discs, Nociscan has the potential to improve treatment success rates and reduce unnecessary procedures. This strategic hire reflects the company's confidence in its growth trajectory and the value of its technology in addressing a significant unmet medical need.
