European Neurotechnology Medicine Platform, Brussels
NeuroCentury’s Paweł Świeboda, together with Mavi Sanchez, Pieter Roelfsema and Serge Picaud, were pleased to present the concept of the European Neurotechnology Medicine Platform at the Brain Innovation Days in Brussels on 28 October. Neurotechnology has a significant role to play in answering unmet medical needs in brain health, addressing some of the most challenging and devastating conditions, from visual impairment to the locked-in syndrome. In many cases, there is simply no alternative for a neurotechnology solution, so the choice is between having one or letting the affected people linger in isolation from the world. Newer technologies can also address disabilities associated with a wider range of brain and nervous system disorders.
The concept of the platform aims to link labs pursuing breakthrough #research with next generation technology providers and industry to streamline developments in pre-competitive space and accelerate applications in the clinic. Neurotechnology is one of the most interdisciplinary fields of research and innovation, where knowledge about the brain needs to rhyme with developments in compact electronics or materials. This is about challenges such as developing new soft micro-electrodes, packaging devices in the body, or improvements in wireless data and power transfer. Progress in one area goes together with advances in the other. The idea is also to create a #modular set-up in which innovation needed to address one condition can be used in various combinations for different target components of the nervous system and applications. Vision for the future is to organize an R&D pipeline structure and create a manufacturing platform for low-volume production, serving as a catalyst for clinical solutions on a broader scale. Naturally, strong governance frameworks are necessary.
The initiative is new, and the platform is an open one. We will be seeking to connect with patient organisations, other research labs and the medtech sector Endorsement at the policy level and by funding organisations is of essence. All this can make a real difference for a broad range of people suffering from brain disorders, in an ethical way.
The event was hosted by the European Brain Council