In this Australian Investors Podcast episode, Mitch sits down with Nick Sladen for a deep dive into Cogstate and why it may be one of the more compelling ASX healthcare names right now.

Alzheimer's and broader central nervous system diseases are becoming more important as populations age, and Nick explains why that matters for Cogstate. The company plays a small but critical role in clinical trials, helping large pharmaceutical groups run cognitive testing with higher accuracy, cleaner data and stronger regulatory confidence. With more than 20 years of accumulated testing data, Cogstate has built an edge that is hard to replicate quickly.

Mitch and Nick also unpack the numbers behind the bull case. They discuss strong margins, net cash, a share buyback, dividend flexibility and why AI could improve throughput rather than undermine the business model. The conversation also goes beyond Alzheimer's into rare disease, depression, schizophrenia and sleep trials, plus the role partnerships like Medidata could play in widening the opportunity set.

They finish by testing the risks, including pharma spending cycles, execution, competition and the possibility that AI changes parts of the workflow over time. If you want a practical breakdown of a high-quality small-cap healthcare business with structural tailwinds, this episode is well worth your time.

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