Precision Neurotechnologies

A high-precision non-invasive multi-focal bidirectional acoustoelectric neural interface

Team: Mike Warner, Jean Rintoul, Lluis Guasch, Mengxing Tang, Parashkev Nachev, Carlos Cueto, Javier Cudeiro, Mattieu Teulemonde, Ciaran Coleman, Richard Davy, Sonalis Imaging Ltd

This team comprises neurologists, applied physicists, engineers, software developers, and experts in ultrasound imaging and clinical translation. They’ll combine the acoustoelectric effect in biogenic ionic fluids with the enhanced ultrasound focusing capabilities provided by full-waveform inversion in a pre-clinical acoustoelectric helmet. They’ll conduct ground-truth demonstrations, in vivo, for healthy human volunteers and pre-operative epilepsy patients, aiming to create the first neural interface that precisely detects and generates brain signals using its native electric ‘language’.

Minimally Invasive Multiplexed Temporal Interference Brain Stimulation Network

Team: Tim Constandinou, Rylie Green, Sam Barnes, Imperial College London | Andrew Jackson, Newcastle University | MintNeuro

This team is developing a minimally invasive, multiplexed temporal interface (TI) brain stimulation technology that’s capable of electrically interrogating multiple intra-regional (micro) and inter-regional (macro) components of distributed neural circuits, with precision close to implantable electrodes. They’ll develop the TI stimulation principle, create a prototype device to deliver it, and demonstrate its capabilities. Their vision is to build a powerful technology that can modulate neural circuit activity everywhere in the brain. 

Brain Mesh: A distributed network interface to mesoscale cortical circuits in large animals

Team: Benjamin Ferleger, Philip Meneau, Brandon Thio, Steven Goetz, Motif Neurotech | Jonathan Casey, Ian Williams, Dorian Haci, Tim Constandinou, MintNeuro | Joshua Woods, Fatima Alrashdan, William Nacci, Matthew Gibson, Kaiyuan Yang, Valentin Dragoi, Ariana Andrei, Rice University

This team is developing the Brain Mesh, a distributed network of minimally invasive neural implants. Each millimeter-sized node, or Mesh Point, will be capable of cell-type-specific neuromodulation and streaming of neural data. A full Brain Mesh may therefore be distributed across the entire mammalian cortical surface, enabling interaction with mesoscale cortical circuits. The Brain Mesh will be a precise, scalable system for brain state monitoring and modulation across entire neural circuits designed explicitly for human translation, paving the way for more comprehensive neuromodulation treatment.

Next-generation brain-machine interface for whole-brain I/O

Team: Elsa Fouragnan, University of Plymouth | Sumner Norman + Tyson Aflalo, Forest Neurotech

This team will utilise an ultrasonic neural interface called Forest 1 for advanced brain imaging and neuromodulation which allows for whole-brain, high-resolution imaging and precise multi-target neuromodulation. They’ll leverage Forest 1’s unique capabilities to measure and modulate neural activity across different mood states, enabling the development of a predictive model of affective brain states. This model will be used to simulate and optimise neuromodulation strategies aimed at shifting brain states towards clinically meaningful outcomes. Their vision is for Forest 1 to become a transformative neurotechnology for a range of therapeutic applications.

Minimally invasive self-regulating gene therapy for neuropsychiatric disorders

Team: Dimitri Kullmann, Eleonora Lugara, University College London | Richard Rosch, King’s College London | Jerzy Szablowski, Rice University | Mikhail Shapiro, California Institute of Technology

This team is working to reverse dysfunctional brain circuits towards a stable physiological ‘ground state’ that’s more resilient to minor perturbations that trigger paroxysmal activity. They’ll use a new generation of cell-state gene therapies to correct abnormal excitability in closed loop, aiming for lasting disease modification with minimal side effects. With clinical translation as the long-term goal, they’ll use focused ultrasound to open the blood-brain barrier for minimally invasive delivery of viral vectors. The team’s vision is to focus on applications for epilepsy, schizophrenia and dementias.

NEUROBOT: Neural Microbots for Closed Loop Modulation

Team: Rob Wykes, University of Manchester | Rupam Das, University of Exeter | Andrew Jackson, Newcastle University | Luca Berdondini, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia | Maria Cerezo Sanchez, Neurobite Technologies

This team aims to develop advanced neural robots (neurobots) for closed-loop neuromodulation, specifically targeting epilepsy treatment. This technology addresses the limitations of traditional deep brain recording and stimulation, which can disrupt normal brain function and cause side effects. The team’s vision is to revolutionise neuromodulation therapies by creating individualised, adaptive treatments that enhance therapeutic outcomes while minimising invasiveness.

Blood-brain-barrier crossing cell-type specific AAVs to interface with the brain

Team: Daniele Cervettini, Navira Ltd | Dimitri Kullmann, Gabriele Lignani, University College London

This team aims to develop an innovative gene delivery technology that can cross the blood-brain barrier and precisely target specific brain cells through intravenous administration. Current brain gene therapies rely on invasive procedures like direct injections, which are risky and limit accessibility. By leveraging custom-designed proteins attached to gene delivery vehicles, they’ll create tools capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier and targeting diverse brain cell types for clinical and research purposes. The team’s goal is to transform brain gene delivery, making it safer, scalable, and effective, enabling a future where brain disorders can be addressed with precision and ease.

Mosaic Neuropharmacology with Focused Ultrasound

Team: Andriy Kozlov, Sam Au, Sophie Morse, Firat Güder, Imperial College London | Antonios Pouliopoulos, King’s College London | Tim Hall, University of Michigan | Terry Matsunaga, University of Arizona

Combining expertise in physics, chemistry, engineering, and neuroscience, this team will explore a non-invasive technology for delivering distinct drugs to different brain regions with precise spatial and temporal control. Engineered particles will carry drug payloads, releasing only in response to specific signals from a remote-control system. This platform will be validated in tissue by demonstrating timed drug release to targeted brain regions. This platform enables ‘mosaic neuropharmacology,’ a novel approach to non-invasively manipulate neural circuits across space and time. The team’s vision is for this platform to represent the most advanced tool for brain-targeted material delivery.

Brain-scale cell type-specific acoustic neural interface

Team: Andriy Kozlov, Imperial College London

This team will leverage the unique capabilities of ultrasound, acoustic proteins, and gene delivery to develop neural interface technologies. They’ll engineer genetically encoded nanoscale ultrasonic reporters of calcium, deliver them to genetically specified neurons using human-compatible viral vectors, and image them dynamically with minimally invasive ultrasound. Using combined expertise in biophysics, neuroscience, super resolution imaging technologies, and gene delivery, the team’s vision is to fundamentally advance the field of neurotechnology.

Tissue Engineered Living Electrodes for Synaptic-Based Precision Neuromodulation

Team: Flavia Vitale, University of Pennsylvania | Jan Jensen, Trailhead Biosystems

This team will develop ‘living deep brain stimulation’ by optogenetically engineering cells and growing them in constructs that constrain the cell bodies on top of the brain and send axonal projections deep inside it. Once implanted, these cells functionally integrate into disordered circuitry and can controllably modulate dopaminergic, GABAergic or glutamatergic neurons. This will be applied to Parkinson's disease to replace coarse grain deep brain stimulation. This could also lead to a versatile platform that can support the implantation of other cell types that could facilitate the release of other neurotransmitters, ultimately leading to treatments for a wide range of conditions.

RESCUE: Regenerative Electroactive Scaffold for Circuit Unification via Electromodulation

Team: Molly Stevens, University of Oxford | Tim Constandinou, Imperial College London

This team will develop a new class of biohybrid neurotechnology that will harness the synergy between biology and hardware to enable the engineering of neural circuits in vivo via neuromodulation. This platform will be based on the minimally-invasive delivery of tissue-engineered constructs to deep brain regions, which can be selectively modulated in situ via exogenous stimuli. The team’s vision is that this biohybrid approach will enable the promotion of neuroregeneration, neuroprotection, and neuroplasticity with high cell-type specificity.

Precision 4D Control of Cortical Circuit Function

Team: Fiona Lebeau, Sasha Kraskov, Luke Bashford, Andy Trevelyan, Stuart Baker, Newcastle University | Steve Kennerley, Tim Denison, University of Oxford | Juan Gallego, Tim Constandinou, Imperial College London | Dorian Haci, MintNeuro

This team aims to deliver data-driven, multi-modal machine learning to define behaviourally-relevant subpopulations within cortical circuits with spatial precision and cell-type specificity. They’ll also deliver custom 4D (multipolar, time- and space-variant) stimulation technology to selectively target these subpopulations with spatial precision and cell-type specificity for closed-loop control of pathological network dynamics and brain states underlying awake behaviour.

Rebuilding the nigrostriatal pathway

Team: Molly Stevens, University of Oxford | Roger Barker, University of Cambridge | Malin Parmar, University of Lund | Oliver Armitage, BIOS Health

This team unites expertise in tissue engineering, neurotechnology, computational neuroscience, clinical translation, and stem cells and organoids to test the ability of organoids to repair brain circuits. They’ll combine in vivo electrical and biochemical simulation approaches to rebuild the nigrostriatal pathway in rat models of Parkinson’s disease. This will allow the development of precision neurotechnologies that have the capacity to restore pathological disease network states back to normal.

Neurology Navigates Neurotech (3N): Understanding the Experiences and Expectations of Neurology Clinicians in relation to the Promise of Precision Neurotechnology

Martyn believes that successfully integrating precision neurotechnologies into healthcare hinges on the perceptions and expectations of stakeholders, including clinicians. His project has three aims: to discover how neurologists have experienced – and consider that they might experience – neurotechnological innovation; to understand clinical perspectives and how they relate to expectations and framings of novelty in discourse on novel tech; and generate actionable insights into the barriers and facilitators of the adoption of precision neurotech.

Addressing Inequities and Adoption Disparities in Neurotechnology among Marginalised Groups

Team: Lise Sproson, NIHR HealthTech Research Centre | Oliver Bandmann, Dan Blackburn, H. Olya, University of Sheffield

This team aims to promote the equitable development and adoption of neurotechnologies by addressing biases, barriers, and disparities in their design, performance, and use among marginalised groups. Using community-based participatory methods and patient-centred research, they’ll evaluate performance and biases across diverse demographics. Their vision is to provide practical solutions and actionable recommendations to researchers, innovators, clinicians, investors, policymakers, and regulators, ensuring the responsible development of neurotechnology, improved performance, and equitable access.

An ethics-centred systems framework for future implementation of neurotechnology to maintain cognitive function and reduce dementia risk

Team: Coco Newton, University College London | Richard Milne + John Clarkson, University of Cambridge

This team believes that while precision neurotechnologies have the potential to transform the management of brain disorders, they must be implemented within a systems framework with ethical considerations at its core. This framework must also design solutions around the needs of people with lived experience and provide stakeholders with iterative improvement to ensure fitness for purpose. Their project outlines the co-creation of a systems framework and toolkit for future neurotechnology deployment. They’ll illustrate the need for this framework by using the preservation of cognition for dementia risk reduction as a test case.

Overcoming translational barriers with lived experience: A roadmap for development and deployment of neurotechnologies for neurological conditions

Team: Charlotte Stagg, Matthew Weightman, University of Oxford | Eleanor Martin, Jessica Walsh, University College London | Anton Pick, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust

This team believes that neurotechnologies that precisely modulate neuronal dynamics hold great promise for treating a range of conditions. Their project aims to overcome barriers to translation by seeking input from people with lived experience of neurological, neuropsychiatric, and neurodegenerative conditions as well as clinicians, researchers, ethicists, and industry experts. They’ll integrate perspectives on the factors influencing research and clinical use, including stakeholder priorities. The resulting roadmap will ensure we capitalise on technical advances and harness neurotechnology to improve the lives of people with brain disorders.

Quantifying preferences for interventional neurotechnologies: a novel, co- designed, market-based evaluation tool

Team: Wako Yoshida + Apostolos Tsiachristas, University of Oxford | Nick Chater, Warwick Business School

This team aims to robustly estimate the potential for impact of hypothetical new neurotechnologies. Conventional methods are often hindered by the difficulty in predicting how much individuals and groups will value a hypothetical treatment scenario, so judgments are often biased by unimportant factors. This team is developing a new tool, with patient partners, based on designing a hypothetical health market in which people think in depth about how they would trade-off health outcomes against other commodities, leading to a much better predictor of future adoption.

Building bridges: Identifying Consensus Research Priorities and Enhancing Patient Understanding of Neurotechnologies

Jamie aims to accelerate the future adoption of novel neurotechnologies in two ways: firstly, by identifying the most important research questions through a Priority Setting Partnership (PSP) with the James Lind Alliance (JLA). Consensus research priorities will direct future funding and research efforts towards projects that will maximise clinical impact. The second element is to educate patients and patient advocacy groups about neurotechnology devices to restore function in motor impairment, including consideration of diverse device types.