NeuroCentury

What are the trends on the market for medical technologies and medical devices in the neuro space? How much of the impressive innovation coming out of the labs carries the promise of making impact on the lives of patients? In this episode of NeuroCentury, Paweł Świeboda talks to Enric Claverol-Tinturé, Programme Manager for Medical Technologies and Medical Devices at the European Innovation Council, the EU’s prime vehicle for funding breakthrough innovation.

Enric is well versed in all matters neuro. He has a PhD degree in engineering and neuroscience and worked as scientist at the California Institute of Technology and the Barcelona-based Bioengineering Research Centre. He then run a spin-off company and founded a technology start-up. Enric’s ample experience in funding innovation includes his tenure as Director General of the Catalonia Foundation for R&I and the current pivotal role at the EIC.

Paweł and Enric discuss promising developments in neuro-electronics and neurotechnology more broadly. They reflect on how interdisciplinary collaboration can be further encouraged, so as to leverage advances in compact electronics, powerful computation and brain medicine. Enric explains what type of projects the EIC looks for and what entrepreneurial researchers as well as current and future founders should consider when preparing to apply for an EIC grant.

#neurocentury #neurotechnology #neuroscience

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Music for the NeuroCentury podcast is composed by Rafał Kulczycki

What is neuroethics and how it has evolved to make brain research and neurotechnology ethical in both medical and non-medical applications. In the latest episode of NeuroCentury, Paweł Świeboda explores these questions with Dr Arleen Salles, Founding Board Member of the Institute of Neuroethics in Atlanta, Georgia and Director of Neuroética in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Arleen co-led the work on Responsible Research and Innovation in the Human Brain Project (2014-2023) and serves as an Executive Board Member of the International Neuroethics Society.

Paweł and Arleen discuss methods of integrating ethical and social considerations into neuroscience and neurotechnology projects: why are the questions about autonomy, integrity, agency or identity so important and how they should be addressed in the research and innovation process early on. The conversation considers whether self-regulation can successfully lead companies to incorporate ethics into their business models. Paweł and Arleen also explore the meaning of consent, one of the basic principles in biomedical ethics, in neuro-related research. Their discussion raises the question whether the debate over responsible AI design, development and deployment should be conducted jointly with the one on social and ethical considerations in neurotechnology.

In addition, the conversation is about international efforts on responsible innovation in neurotechnology, starting with the OECD Recommendation in 2019, the work of UN bodies, and more recently, the European Union. It also considers what role cultural considerations need to play in the debate over neurotechnology governance. 

 #neurocentury #neuroethics #neurotechnology #brain

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Music for the NeuroCentury podcast is composed by Rafał Kulczycki

A new generation of robots is emerging, directly inspired by the intelligence and bodies of living organisms. What will result is a symbiosis of the human and the robot, says Prof. Dario Floreano, Director of the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems at the EPFL in Lausanne, in this episode of NeuroCentury, recorded at the Dubai Future Forum 2023.  

Dario Floreano led the National Competence Centre in Research for Robotics in Switzerland, 2010-2022, a large consortium of academic and research institutions specializing in different aspects of robotic technology. He is co-author of the book “Tales from a Robotic World”, together with Nicola Nosengo.

The conversation covers programmes to develop intelligent robots for restoring, preserving and assisting humans. Wearable robotics is the type of robotics where the robot perceives what the person does and acts on the person by supporting his/her actions. Dario takes us through developments which started from large, bulky robots for neurorehabilitation, to wearable ones, and onto the situation in which the robot disappears and becomes embedded, integrated in the human.

Paweł and Dario discuss educational robotics and how 80 thousand robots are now deployed in Swiss schools and elsewhere for teaching and learning. They explore the impact of the rise of robotics on the labour market, given the ongoing automation of many human tasks. Looking into the future, Paweł asks Dario about biohybrid robots, ones that weave electronics with living cells.

#neurocentury #robots #roboticworld #neurotechnology

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neurocentury.com

Music for the NeuroCentury podcast is composed by Rafał Kulczycki

Coming from Dubai, this episode of NeuroCentury, is devoted to advances in genetics and their impact on the treatment of brain disorders. Paweł Świeboda talks to Mohammed Uddin, a human geneticist with a focus on the genetics neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. Mohammed is Professor at the University of Medicine and Health Sciences in Dubai, an important emerging hub for genomic medicine.

Entire buckets of genes are now established in genome-wide discovery studies. Yet, the pathway towards understanding the underlying biology is not always obvious. Many genes might be plausible candidates for associated variants. Most traits are polygenic, and many genetic variants have small effect. In this context, the episode covers the future of clinical genomics, with emphasis on mass scale modelling to characterize variants of uncertain significance, the use of Machine Learning in variant detection, single cell sequencing and the Pangenome initiative to identify population-specific risk factors

The conversation zooms in on Autism Spectrum Disorder, a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting 1 in 44 children globally. Over 100 genes have been identified to be strongly associated with the ASD. Mohammed’s work has shown that non-neuronal cells, the astrocytes, play a strong role in the development of autism.

Mohammed has recently launched a startup GenomeArc with a platform for ultrafast genome variant classification and interpretation. In the conversation, he explains why it is so important to obtain this type of rapid reading of the genome.

 #neurocentury #genetics #genomicmedicine #brainhealth

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neurocentury.com

Music for the NeuroCentury podcast is composed by Rafał Kulczycki

The word is often on our mouths, especially with the letter A in front of it although the latter might not be… intelligent. So, what is intelligence and how has it emerged? Dayeol Lee, Bloomsberg Distinguished Professor of Neuroscience, Psychological and Brain Sciences at Johns Hopkins University studies decision-making and has written a wonderful book, “The Birth of Intelligence” where he traces the origins of the concept.

 Intelligence is what makes us unique as a species. It is the ability to take decisions and solve problems under a variety of environments, “for life”, Dayeol adds. Intelligence is expressed in behaviours and the latter are product of brain functions. But decision-making is also the focus of disciplines such as biology, economy or psychology, making the study of intelligence interdisciplinary.

 Daeyeol Lee argues that intelligence is inextricably linked to life and the need to self-replicate. At its heart, there is the relationship between the genes and the brain. The genes delegate the responsibility for their replication to the brain and this is the ultimate reason why the brain plays such a critical role in decision-making. Artificial intelligence is a surrogate of human intelligence. Today’s machines do not reproduce themselves, and hence they are intelligent “through us”. Once advances are made in artificial life, this may change, but why would we wish for it?

#neurocentury #neuroscience #intelligence #AI

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Music for the NeuroCentury podcast is composed by ⁠Rafał Kulczycki

Dementia touches on the most intimate aspects of what it means to be human. There is a mountain to be moved for the patient, and another one for the caregiver. In this episode of NeuroCentury, Paweł Świeboda talks to Mary Lou Falcone, author of the recent book “I Didn’t See It Coming: Scenes of Love, Loss and Lewy Body Dementia”. Mary Lou is a classical music publicist. She has supported the careers of celebrated artists such as Gustavo Dudamel, Renée Fleming or James Taylor, and has worked with prestigious music institutions. She is an advocate for Lewy Body Dementia awareness.

Mary Lou’s book is a moving memoir of a loving relationship with her late husband, Nicholas “Nicky” Zann, who died in 2020 of Lewy Body Dementia. Nicky Zann was a rock-and-roll musician as well as world-renowned cartoonist, illustrator and painter. His illustrations introduce each chapter of the book written by Mary Lou Falcone. They were a couple for 37 years.

The conversation is about Mary Lou’s and Nicky’s joint experience with Lewy Body Dementia. We follow the journey from the diagnosis to Nicky’s last moments, exploring the nature of the Lewy Body Dementia, which is the second most common form of progressive dementia in the United States after Alzheimer’s.

Mary Lou and Paweł discuss where caregivers can get the strength and support needed to look after their relatives with dementia, an experience which Mary Lou calls “life-altering” and “life-affirming”. They explore what can be done to improve the patients’ quality of life, as the disease progresses.

As Mary Lou has said, caregiving is a gift. She gives us another one by sharing her experience in the beautifully written book.

#neurocentury #brainhealth #dementia #LewyBodyDementia #MaryLouFalcone

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neurocentury.com

Music for the NeuroCentury podcast is composed by Rafał Kulczycki

This episode of NeuroCentury comes from Padova, Italy, where Paweł Świeboda spoke last week (XI.2023) to Prof. Paolo Bonato about his innovative approach to precision rehabilitation interventions in neurological patients. Prof. Bonato is Director of the Motion Analysis Laboratory at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Boston MA, and Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the Harvard Medical School.

Having studied biomechanics of human movement, Prof. Bonato has developed and tested robotics and wearable technology systems to retrain motor function in patients with mobility-limiting conditions, including cerebral palsy, stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury and Parkinson’s Disease. The use of arm or leg exoskeletons is tailored to address individual mobility impairments. In treating traumatic brain injury patients, Prof. Bonato applies stimulation methods, together with motor training. The latter is delivered via a robotic system with virtual reality modules.

The conversation covers ongoing projects in Prof. Bonato’s lab, including combining home robots with wireless body and ambient sensor networks to detect falls at home. Wireless wearable sensor systems are also used to monitor fluctuations in patients with Parkinson’s Disease Algorithms developed on this basis can predict clinical scores. Towards the end of the discussion, Prof. Bonato shares his reflection about the way to combine neuroscience insights with advancements in bioengineering, to ensure that greater understanding of the mechanisms of motor control can translate into more effective interventions.

#neurocentury #bioeninnering # neuroscience #brainhealth #neurologycare

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neurocentury.com

Music for the NeuroCentury podcast is composed by Rafał Kulczycki

In this episode of NeuroCentury, Paweł Świeboda talks to Prof. Paola Zaratin, Director of Scientific Research at the Italian Multiple Sclerosis Society and a global champion for greater patient engagement. The conversation took place on the margins of last week’s Brain Innovation Days organized by the European Brain Council in Brussels (26-27 October 2023).

It is a unique time to be speaking about Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The first disease modifying treatment emerged thirty years ago this year and there are now over 30 treatments approved in the US. Progress has been such that the word cure has firmly entered the vocabulary as a function of greater understanding of the malfunction of the immune system of people with MS and learning from earlier clinical trials.

 The conversation covers the current and future research agenda for MS cure, the nature of MS as a disease of the entire lifespan, development of standards for patient-reported outcomes and their co-creation with patients, the case for a paradigm shift from a patient-centric approach to a model infused with patient input throughout the scientific process, the MULTI-ACT model framework to understand how people affected by MS can give their contribution, need for enabling tools to encourage patient engagement in research, the case for actively embedding patients in research and the role of funding agencies.

 #NeuroCentury #brain #multiplesclerosis #BrainInnovationDays #brainhealth

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neurocentury.com

Music for the NeuroCentury podcast is composed by Rafał Kulczycki

In this episode of NeuroCentury, Paweł Świeboda talks to Amir Bozorgzadeh, Co-Founder and CEO of Virtuleap, a company that works on addressing mental disorders, cognitive illnesses and learning challenges using Virtual Reality (VR). Paweł and Amir saw each other a few days ago at the Neuro Summit, organized by Broadreach Global and hosted by the Champalimaud Foundation, where Amir won the start-up pitch competition in Lisbon in a tough competition of over a dozen shortlisted companies.

The main current product of Virtuleap is EnhancedVR, a library of cognitive exercises to examine and train cognitive skills. In collaboration with Roche, the company is now working on a new product, called CogniclearVR, which it aims to make available by the end of the year. Its focus will be on cognitive decline.

The conversation covers incredible progress of VR and what it means for diagnostic and therapeutic application, how VR assesses cognitive performance, what treasure trove of high quality and multisensory data is created as a result. Paweł and Amir discuss the academic underpinnings of Virtuleap’s product development as well as the medical validation methods. Finally, they look into challenges to rollout and Virtuleap’s business model.

#neurocentury #brain #virtuleap #VR #virtualreality

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neurocentury.com

Music for the NeuroCentury podcast is composed by Rafał Kulczycki

In this episode, Paweł Świeboda talks to Dr. Harris Eyre, Lead of the Brain Capital Alliance, a public-private partnership arguing that transformational approaches are needed in today’s health systems and the economy. Given the ongoing technological acceleration, changing demographics and geoeconomics, it is brain capital that can make a difference in driving systemic preparedness, meeting modern societal challenges and driving innovation. In brain capital, the premium is put on brain skills and brain health, including individual’s cognitive, emotional, and social brain resources.

Harris has worked as a physician, scientist, entrepreneur, author, new economic and finance thinker and neuroscience diplomat. Among numerous different roles, he is a Senior Fellow at the Baker Institute for Public Policy at the Rice University, and the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute.

The conversation covers the origin and the meaning of brain capital; ways of placing the concept at the center of economics, policy, finance and technology; the Brain Capital Industrial and Innovation strategy; efforts to quantify and track brain capital with an open knowledge platform - the Brain Capital Dashboard focused on brain capital drivers, brain health and brain skills; and the role brain capital could play in the post-SDG agenda.

#neurocentury #brain #braincapital #brainhealth

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neurocentury.com

Music for the NeuroCentury podcast is composed by Rafał Kulczycki