This special episode of Brain Talks takes you inside one of the highlights of Brain Innovation Days 2025: the startup pitch competition. Host Sam Pauly is joined by four finalist startups, OWL Life Sciences, neuroClues, Avrio MedTech and BrainPatch, each competing for the jury prize and public prize with bold solutions targeting some of the most pressing unmet needs in brain health.The episode explores the core challenges each startup is tackling: the high costs and poor return on investment plaguing neurological drug development, the persistent difficulty of achieving fast and accurate neurological diagnoses, the limited access to life-changing epilepsy surgery, and the growing global burden of chronic stress. Together, the pitches paint a vivid picture of just how much room there is for innovation across the brain health landscape.

Key themes include the promise of AI-driven preclinical models to de-risk drug development, the potential of eye-tracking biomarkers to make neurological diagnosis faster and more objective, the role of advanced EEG analysis in guiding safer and more precise epilepsy surgery, and the opportunity for non-invasive neurostimulation to offer accessible, everyday relief from chronic stress. Each startup brings a distinct scientific approach, reflecting both the complexity of the brain and the urgency of finding better solutions for patients.

Recorded live at Brain Innovation Days 2025 in Brussels, this episode offers a front-row seat to the next generation of brain health innovation, and only one startup will take the prize.

The latest episode of Brain Talks examines what it really means to live with Myasthenia Gravis, and what needs to change to better support patients across Europe. Host Sam Pauly is joined by Lutgarde Allard (European Myasthenia Gravis Association) and Dr Lorenzo Maggi (Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan), to discuss the patient experience, clinical realities and policy ambitions behind the European Brain Council’s Rethinking MG initiative.

The episode explores the profound and often invisible burden of MG on patients, families and carers, from anxiety, isolation and guilt through to financial hardship. On the clinical side, the discussion highlights how delayed diagnosis, uneven access to innovative therapies and fragmented care coordination continue to hold patients back, with the core challenge being not a lack of medical knowledge, but the difficulty in translating that knowledge into timely and coordinated care across Europe.

Key themes include the urgent need for structured, patient-centred care pathways, the critical importance of meaningful patient and carer involvement in shaping health policy, and the growing role of European Reference Networks in reducing inequalities and sharing best practice across borders. The episode also looks ahead with optimism, exploring the impact of new targeted therapies and the potential for MG to serve as a model for how rare neurological diseases are addressed more systematically across Europe.

Released ahead of Rare Disease Day and in connection with the European Brain Council’s Rare Brain Disease event in Brussels, this episode makes a compelling case for putting patients at the heart of care, research and policy.

The latest episode of Brain Talks, recorded live at Brain Innovation Days 2025, examines how environmental exposures shape brain health across the lifespan. Host Sam Pauly is joined by Geert Dom (European Psychiatric Association), Bart Depreitere (University Hospitals Leuven, EANS), and Silke Matura (Goethe University Hospital, ECNP), to discuss the critical role of the exposome in brain development and disease risk.

The episode explores why early childhood adversity could account for 70% of adult mental health service needs, how ultra-processed foods increase depression risk by over 30% and accelerate cognitive decline by up to 10 years, and why simple lifestyle interventions like 9,000 daily steps can reduce dementia risk by 50%.

Key themes include the urgent challenges facing rapidly urbanising populations, with 86% of people expected to live in cities by 2050, the long-term brain health impacts of nutrition from maternal diet through to older adulthood, the hidden consequences of repetitive head impacts in sports, and the critical implementation gap between research evidence and policy action.

Tune in to discover how environmental factors influence brain health and why creating healthier environments is essential for current and future generations.

‘We believe that really recognising and accepting patient experience data, non-clinical outcomes, when it comes to brain health diseases, is something that will bring better innovation to patients.’ – Isabel Klinnert, Director Global Government and Public Affairs, Healthcare, at Merck KGaA Darmstadt, Germany.

The latest episode of Brain Talks examines how Europe can transform brain health from a policy aspiration into concrete action by 2030. Host Frédéric Destrebecq is joined by Isabel Klinnert to discuss the critical intersection of brain health, economic competitiveness, and innovation at a pivotal moment for the continent.

The episode explores why untreated brain conditions pose significant threats to Europe’s productivity and social systems, the transformative potential of patient experience data in driving innovation, and how rare neurological diseases like myasthenia gravis can serve as test cases for broader healthcare system improvements.

Key themes include the role of artificial intelligence and the European Health Data Space in accelerating diagnostics and clinical trials, the opportunities presented by recent legislative milestones including the Pharmaceutical Package and upcoming frameworks like the Biotech Act, and the urgent need for a comprehensive European brain health plan alongside existing cancer and cardiovascular strategies.

The discussion underscores that Europe’s ability to address the rising burden of brain diseases and maintain its competitive edge depends on prioritising brain health in political agendas, fostering cross-sector collaboration, and ensuring that policy frameworks support both innovation and patient outcomes.

Tune in to discover how Europe can unlock the full potential of brain health innovation and secure a thriving future for patients, healthcare systems, and society.

Listen to the newest Brain Talks episode on rethinking the way we look at disease burden, featuring perspectives from patients, researchers, and policy experts on what it truly means to live with generalised Myasthenia Gravis (gMG). This episode tackles a critical question: Are we truly capturing what rare brain diseases cost patients, families and society?

In this episode, host Sam Pauly explores: The patient reality with Christina Ramirez, who shares her lived experience of gMG and its profound daily impacts on patients and families, the research lens with Adrian Kielhorn, who presents findings from the gMG 360 study, and the policy perspective with Vinciane Quoidbach, who discusses the “Rethinking Myasthenia Gravis” project and how adaptive pathways, real-world evidence, and patient-experienced data can transform care for rare brain diseases. With innovative therapies emerging and policy frameworks evolving, now is the moment to redesign care pathways that reduce burden, accelerate access and ensure no gMG patient is left behind.