Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust will trial a whole-brain computer interface that uses ultrasound to measure and modulate brain-wide activity.
The ultrasonic neural interface, developed by US-based non-profit Forest Neurotech, could be used to treat conditions like depression, addiction, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
A study to investigate the safety and tolerability of the Forest 1 device will run for three and a half years, starting from March 2025, funded by the Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) as part of its Precision Neurotechnologies programme.
Aimun Jamjoom, consultant neurosurgeon within the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “The ARIA award presents an extraordinary opportunity to advance our work on developing ultrasound neurotechnology for whole-brain imaging and modulation.
“This holds the promise of delivering a new class of life-changing therapies for individuals living with neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders.”
Around 30 individuals who have had craniectomies (skull defects) will be recruited to test Forest 1, with the device placed on the surface of the skin at the site of the skull defect to interface with the brain.
Recognising that many neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders stem from disruptions in neural circuits – the brain’s intricate ‘wiring’ – the research, in partnership with the University of Plymouth, aims to pave the way for personalised therapies by precisely targeting neural networks with minimally invasive methods.
Jacques Carolan, programme director at ARIA, said: “To date, there’s been little serious investment into methodologies that interface precisely with the human brain, beyond ‘brute force’ approaches or highly invasive implants.
“Through trials like this – a first for the UK – we’re showing that it’s possible to develop elegant means of understanding, identifying, and treating many of the most complex and devastating brain disorders.
“Ultimately, this could deliver transformative impact for people with lived experiences of brain disorders.”
ARIA will fund a coordinated portfolio of 18 research teams across academia, non-profit R&D organisations, and startups dedicated to advancing brain-computer interface technologies.
The programme will direct £69 million over four years to unlock new methods for interfacing with the human brain at the neural circuit level, to treat complex neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy and depression.
Other projects funded by the programme include a team, led by the University of Glasgow, which will build advanced neural robots for closed-loop neuromodulation, specifically targeting epilepsy treatment, and London-based Navira, which will develop a novel technology for delivering gene therapies across the blood-brain barrier to help develop safer and more effective treatments.
By addressing bottlenecks in funding and the lack of precision offered by current approaches, the outputs of ARIA’s programme aim to pave the way for addressing a broad range of brain disorders.
The full list of projects being funded under the Precision Neurotechnologies programme are listed here.
Meanwhile, medtech startup Robeauté has raised $28 million (£23m) to develop microrobots which enter the brain to diagnose, treat and monitor neurological conditions.
The robots, which are the size of a grain of rice, can safely carry out tasks in the brain such as delivering molecules, implanting electrodes and collecting cell or live-data samples.
