Themes and Topics - Brain Innovation Days

Thomas Edison, one of the great minds of the second industrial revolution, once said that “the chief function of the body is to carry the brain around.”

Understanding the human brain – how it works and how it is afflicted by diseases and disorders – is an important frontier in science and society today.

The Brain vs The Machine?

Is your brain a machine? Are machines intelligent? Can they think? Nowadays, we can connect our brains to technologies through artificial intelligence, robots and brain computer interfaces. But can they help to overcome our human limitations?

United for Brain Innovation

Costs of brain diseases are increasing. The brain is still a mystery and its complexity hinders the pace of innovation. How can partnerships accelerate the translation of our huge amounts of knowledge into novel interventions and improve the lives of millions of brain patients and of our society as a whole?

The Future of Funding and Personalised Care

There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach to brain health. Considering the side effect of common brain health interventions, how can we provide more personalised healthcare? Is precision medicine the future of brain health?

From Innovation Ideas to Creative Brain Interventions

From medication to meditation, new pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical interventions are continuously popping up to treat brain diseases. How can they be combined? Novel technologies provide hope for more effective therapies.

Societal and (Neuro)Ethical responsibilities

Rapid advances in neuroscience, diagnosis and interventions of brain diseases raise critical questions. How do we ensure that brain innovations will help and not harm society? How will they be accessible to those who need them? How to protect and use personal data collected by these technologies?

11:45 - 12:05 - AGORA SESSION
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Teleneurorehabilitation

The recent advances in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) enabled a growing amount of people worldwide to remotely interact at affordable costs, embracing the possibility to join in complex human activities like neurorehabilitation. During the last decades telemedicine tools have been implemented, which have proven to be a solution for continuity of care in patients at risk of isolation (e.g. people living in remote areas worldwide) and in several clinical conditions (e.g. immunocompromised individuals) showing good adherence and also a positive impact in terms of efficacy in different areas of intervention. Additionally, telerehabilitation can be adapted to multiple clinical conditions and allows individualization of treatment to suit the needs of the patient and the pathology.

The health pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) has limited the access of a large number of patients with acquired brain damage to neurorehabilitation programs [1]. The activities of the rehabilitative team were limited to those strictly necessary: the out-patients’ treatments or those delivered at home by therapists were suspended ante most of in-patients were confined to patient’s room. Noteworthy, beyond physical distancing measures, also changes in healthcare services access regulation are negatively affecting the access to rehabilitative services during the current pandemic [2].

Ensuring the continuity of cure, an adequate treatment intensity and repetition over time are major challenges in neurorehabilitation. Telerehabilitation can potentially enable continuum of care in situations of physical distancing, so it could be an effective alternative to physical intervention and mitigate some negative effects caused by the pandemic. As far as neurorehabilitation is concerned, most of the programmes developed have focused on specific aspects, especially motor aspects such as balance or upper limb, but not on a multi-specialist approach or within a more global framework. Moreover, most of these studies have used selected samples with restricted inclusion criteria (excluding cognitive problems, language, major dependencies…).

The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness, adherence and usability of a teleneurorehabilitation tool aimed at providing patients with acquired brain injury with clinical assistance during the pandemic.

Methods

All patients older than 18 years old who participated in a face-to-face neurorehabilitation program at the time of confinement were candidates to participate in a teleneurorehabilitation program. An individual intervention was planned for all the participants who accepted to participate in the teleneurorehabilitation program to replicate their face-to-face program, reproducing the contents, duration and frequency of the sessions, as well as their previously assigned therapists. This planning was reviewed weekly. The effectiveness of the program was determined from the change in functional independence, determined with the extended version of the Barthel Index, once the face-to-face activity was resumed. The adherence to the program was assessed by the responsible therapist using a 10-point Likert scale. The usability of the teleneurorehabilitation tool was determined by the participants using an “ad-hoc” questionnaire.

Conclusions

The teleneurorehabilitation intervention was effective at improving the independence of patients with acquired brain injury, and promoted high adherence and usability. These data could be seen as an opportunity to rethink current neurorehabilitative routines, envisioning mixed procedures in which face-to-face sessions are integrated and combined with telerehabilitation.

10:10 - 10:30 - AGORA SESSION
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Bridging gaps in brain innovation: adopting open science research practices to boost trust in neurotech

The neurotech market as part of the neuroenhancement trend is rapidly growing and not shy of making big promises: consumer products for home use to boost attention, mood or memory. Gaining and maintaining the trust of consumers is paramount to succeeding in the neurotech market. However, in the scientific disciplines that form the foundation of these products – including Psychology, Neuroscience and Cognitive Science – concerns about the independent replication of research findings are acute. There is currently an evidence gap for both clinical and consumer product development – and filling this gap with trustworthy data requires robust research. Translational efforts in industry can therefore greatly benefit from robust and transparent research practices. Further, the call for responsible innovation and transparent R&D documentation is echoed by recent international policy updates of the European Medical Device Regulation and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Open science research practices seem to offer perfectly suited solutions to address these needs and reconcile innovation with robustness. Yet, their use is currently largely confined to academic communities. How can we close this knowledge gap efficiently and expedite the adoption of more robust research in the consumer market? We aim to engage with key stakeholders in the development of new neurotechnologies through:

surveying consumer attitudes towards more robust and transparent research practices in neurotech;
carrying out B2B interviews with neurotechnology companies to investigate their openness to embracing these practices;
offering workshops aiming to facilitate future public-private partnerships.

Sophie Esterer, PhD, is co-founder of kop science + consulting, specialising in R&D services and strategic consulting for neurotech start-ups. She obtained her PhD from Cardiff University with a research focus on neuromodulation (tDCS), simulation of brain stimulation (FEM) and neuroimaging (fNIRS, MEG). She is also a psychotherapist in training at the University of Vienna.

12:25 - 12:40 - AGORA SESSION
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DYRK1A, a novel therapeutic target for Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease

Our objective is a drug correcting cognitive deficits in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Our strategy is to use Down syndrome (DS) as a ‘back door’ to enter the AD therapeutic field. Cognitive deficits in AD and in DS can indeed be attributed to an excessive production/activity of the DYRK1A protein kinase (gene located on chromosome 21). Consequently, genetic and pharmacological inhibition of DYRK1A correct cognitive deficits in various animal models of AD and DS. These results have encouraged us to screen for, develop and optimize pharmacological inhibitors of DYRK1A for over 15 years. We discovered that Leucettamine B, a natural product extracted from the marine sponge Leucetta microraphis, inhibits DYRK1A with relatively good selectively. Inspired by this initial hit, we first synthesized, optimized and extensively characterized >500 analogues, the Leucettines. Improving the pharmacological properties of these compounds led us to Leucettinibs, a second-generation family of DYRK1A inhibitors (0.5-20 nM IC50, orally available, >560 compounds synthesized, 4 patents filed). Leucettines (ip) and Leucettinibs (p.o.) correct spatial and learning memory deficits observed in various animal models of AD and DS. This strong proof of concept (and data from other groups) supports the idea that pharmacological inhibition of DYRK1A might correct memory deficits in AD and DS patients. Our final clinical drug candidate, Leucettinib-21, was selected following a stringent GO/NO GO decision tree based on multiple in vitro and in vivo safety, pharmacology (ADMET) and IP parameters, strengthening our chance to develop a solid therapeutic drug candidate for the correction of cognitive deficits. The synthesis of a 1.5 kg, GLP batch of Leucettinib-21 is being carried for the regulatory preclinical studies which will start in January 2022.

Laurent Meijer obtained Doctorate degrees from the Universities of Lille and Paris VI, did a post-doc at the Stanford University Hopkins Marine Laboratory, Pacific Grove (1978-’79), obtained a CNRS position in 1979, did a sabbatical in 1985-’86 at the University of Washington (Department of Biochemistry, Seattle) and was a Visiting Professor for 3 years (2001-2004) at the Rockefeller University in New York. As a CNRS Research Director he was heading a team of 21 co-workers (‘Protein Phosphorylation & Human Disease’ group), at the ‘Station Biologique de Roscoff’, till June 2011. He is now Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer of ManRos Therapeutics (2011) and of Perha Pharmaceuticals (2019), two small biotech companies focused on the development of kinase inhibitors targeting cystic fibrosis (CF) (ManRos), cognitive deficits associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Down syndrome (DS), prevention of Hearing Loss (HL) induced by ototoxic products or acoustic trauma, and polycystic kidney disease (PKD) (Perha Pharma). Aged 68, he is author of more than 360 scientific articles and co-inventor in 43 patents. His major work and expertise are focused on the search for, optimization and characterization of pharmacological chemical inhibitors, inspired by marine natural products, of disease-relevant protein kinases and their development as innovative therapeutic drug candidates.

10:25 - 10:40 - BRAIN TALK
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Viktor Jirsa, Virtual Epileptic Patient technology

Over the past decade we have demonstrated that the fusion of a patient’s own brain imaging data with computational dynamic models allows building personalized virtual brain models with diagnostic and prognostic performance. Our hybrid approach fuses data-driven with mechanistic modeling techniques and has been successfully applied in aging and stroke research and to clinical applications in epilepsy. Here we illustrate the workflow called Virtual Epileptic Patient (VEP) along the example of drug resistant epilepsy, where the application of machine learning and AI allows the estimation of the epileptogenic zone. A large multisite randomized clinical trial is testing VEP technology in epilepsy surgery patients. The workflow of end-to-end modeling is an integral part of the European neuroinformatics platform EBRAINS and enables neuroscientists worldwide to build and estimate personalized virtual brains. Virtual Brain Technologies (VB-Tech) has recently been created as a spin-off from AMU to exploit virtual brain technology with the mission of commercializing the VEP medical device as a trailblazer of TVB technology and the long-term vision of transversal extension to other diseases including Parkinson, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer. VB-Tech will address the market access challenge, for this technology and its future developments, transitioning from an academic prototype to an industrialized and certified medical device, allowing for the patients to benefit from it. VB-Tech will also be committed to adding a strong focus on medical education on top of the commercial objectives, placing the clinician in the center of the project.

Professor Lars Edvinsson (LE) is recognized leading expert in the field of vascular innervation and receptor regulation and his extensive research has been a major contributor to understanding roles of the coronary, cerebral and peripheral vasculature in health and diseases such as AMI, stroke and primary headaches. LEs research has founded the development of novel drugs for the treatment of neurovascular diseases.

15:00 - 15:20 - AGORA SESSION
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Shifting the paradigm with Adaptive/Responsive Cranialized Brain Pacemaker to treat neurodegenerative diseases by cutting DBS surgery time in half!

What it takes to make Brain Pacemakers as routine as heart pacemakers and shifting the paradigm for Deep Brain Stimulation surgeries?

Similar to heart pacemakers, DBS is the gold standard for late-stage Parkinson’s treatment with world-wide regulatory approval, but adoption remains limited to ~5% due to patient access, procedure complexity, and cost, delaying and depriving eligible candidates. Diseases of cerebrovascular origins such as refractory hypertension, stroke, Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia rank alongside cancer as one of the greatest healthcare challenges faced by humanity, affecting one in three in later life.

Bioinduction has developed the first miniaturized precisely targeted, adaptive/responsive AI enabled, ‘brain-pacemaker’ called Picostim™, designed to be implanted directly into the skull and making it cosmetically invisible. Being a third of the size of conventional devices, it eliminates the need for tunneling extension wires (that need revision surgeries due to fractures) through neck tissue to a chest incision for the larger conventional batteries.

The elegant streamlined single-stage intra-operative skull integrated implantation workflow enables a safer, simpler, less traumatic, and less painful single-stage surgery, in less than half the time of conventional multi-stage, multi-day intervention, as well as doubling surgical productivity bringing cost savings for the health system, with lower life-cycle cost compared to conventional technologies. The procedure innovation harnesses convergence of state-of-the-art precise image guided planning and navigation enabling improved patient comfort with asleep surgery, an integrated surgical robot assistance, together delivering the future of brain pacemaker interventions.

Smart Picostim™ cranialized DBS platform innovation introduces a patient-centric brain pacemaker innovation together with an elegant single-stage procedure solution that enables paradigm change and introduces the future of brain pacemaker implantation to treat large unmet needs in chronic brain disorders via improved patient experience, increasing patient access, and improving overall outcomes for all the stakeholders.

Mr. Nik Patel has been practising Consultant Neurosurgeon and Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer at the Institute of Clinical Neurosciences (University of Bristol) since his appointment in 2005. He trained in medicine at Charing Cross & Westminster Medical School, and in neurosciences at University College London. In 1991 he gained a First-Class Honours Degree in Neurosciences and in 1994 graduated in Medicine with Distinction in Pathology from University of London. His basic surgical training was completed at Oxford University. His neurosurgical training was completed at Frenchay hospital, University of Bristol, where he was appointed Consultant Neurosurgeon in 2005. Nik has developed a special interest in the treatment of functional brain disorders. His surgical and research interests have focused on developing innovations, and in advancing less-invasive and stream-lined procedural solutions. He has been recognised for his neurosurgical research excellence with a Medical Research Council fellowship; awards from both the American and the European Associations of Neurological Surgeons; and a Hunterian Professorship from the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

Former general manager of Neuromodulation international at Boston Scientific, former CEO Pixium Vision, Entrepreneur Brain-Machine innovations. Global business leader passionate about meaningful MedTech/NeuroTech innovations and transhumanism that makes a difference in improving lives. Interfacing the knowledge and technologies at the frontier of innovations with over 25 years of building and leading high-performance winning teams executing in high growth start-up ventures and multi-disciplinary environments. Spanning international general management and strategic responsibilities in Neuromodulation / Bioelectronics, brain-machine interface arena.

10:55 - 11:15 - AGORA SESSION
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Relevance of gender issues in Neurology

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Academy of Neurology had already decided to launch a taskforce on Gender and Diversity in Neurology, with the overall mission to increase awareness and improve knowledge about sex, gender, ethnic and racial differences and disparities in neurological disorders. Indeed, there are several biological, genetic, and epigenetic differences between men and women that can impact epidemiology, clinical manifestation, and treatment of many neurological disorders. Global burden ofneurological diseases affects much more women than men at any age.

Risk factors of stroke differs in women compare to men. Motor and non-motor fluctuations in Parkinson’s disease are not the same between men and women. Precision medicine in neurology needs neurologists to be aware of these differences to improve care and outcome of neurological patients. This session will provide new insights about this new expanding field of medicine applied to neurology.

Elena Moro graduated in Medicine at the University of Trieste (Italy), and completed her residency in Neurology at the Rome Catholic University (Italy). She did her fellowship in surgery for movement disorders in Grenoble, France, under the supervision of Pr. Pollak and Pr. Benabid. After receiving her PhD in Neurosciences, she joined the Division of Neurology at the Toronto Western Hospital (Canada) as medical Director of the surgical program for Movement Disorders. She worked with Pr. AE Lang and Pr. AM Lozano. In 2012 she moved to Grenoble, France, as full Professor of Neurology at the Grenoble Alpes University. Currently, she is the Director of the Movement Disorders Center, and the Head of the Department of Psychiatry, Neurology, Neurological Rehabilitation and Forensic Medicine at the CHUGA. To date, she has published more than 200 papers based on clinical research in movements disorders. Her main research has been focused on restoring brain function, especially with deep brain stimulation. Pr. Moro has trained many medical students, PhD students and neurology fellows. She is actively involved in several international academic societies. She is currently the Secretary General of the European Academy of Neurology and the Treasurer of the International Association of Parkinson and Related Disorders.

Joke Jaarsma is EBC Treasurer and President of the European Federation of Neurological Associations (EFNA). In 2009 she started the European Alliance for Restless Legs Syndrome, an organization which now represents all major European patient groups for RLS. She still works with them as Director of External Relations. Furthermore, she also is a member of several scientific panels at the European Academy of Neurology. In her working life, Joke Jaarsma was senior publisher at one of the major science publishers. She joined the Dutch Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) patient association in 1999, and she is still active as Vice President of the Dutch group. Having finished full-time paid employment, she decided to spend her retirement in helping give neurology patients a strong and collective voice.

15:45 - 16:05 - AGORA SESSION
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MindBot: a cobot platform to look after workers’ mental health

The workplace environment has a great impact on workers’ mental health and well-being, even more if considering the time people spend at work. A good psychosocial work environment can be very beneficial for workers’ mental health, whilst a poor one can have significant negative effects, including experiencing work-related stress, burnout, problems at home,drug and alcohol abuse. The negative effects impact the organizations too, that experience poor overall business performance, increased absenteeism, presenteeism and higher accident and injury rates.
This is the second most frequently reported work-related health problem in Europe, after musculoskeletal disorders.In the context of Industry 4.0, where robots, sensors and automated work are pervasive, conditions are potentially more harmful for workers’ mental health, as they could be exposed either to monotonous and alienating tasks or to very challenging tasks. The progressive adoption of collaborative robots (cobots) in manufacturing SMEs opens the way to a radical organizational and technological transformation, where by design the whole workplace environment could contribute to promote workers’ mental health.
The aim of our session is to show how an enhanced multi-stakeholder engagement takes into account manifold facets affecting mental health and intervenes on technological, relational and organizational aspects of the cobot-based work, fostering investment in research and innovation and facilitating SME business development.The objective is to design workplaces where level of challenge and difficulty of job tasks match with the workers’ abilities, in order to support their motivation and engagement by interacting with cobots in a flexible and personalized way. This will facilitate workers’ positive attitude, promoting good mental health and preventing negative experiences of anxiety or boredom and apathy that eventually lead to mental illnesses. Expected results are the definition of guidelines for the design of a “mental health friendly” manufacturing workplace and a new generation of cobots, the Mindbots.

Received her bachelor degree in Social Sciences in 2011 at University of Augsburg which qualified her for a DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) full scholarship to study the Master’s degree “International Financial and Political Relations” in Loughborough, UK. In December 2012, she graduated with a distinction, while she had already started working at the Chief Innovation Office at KUKA AG in November 2012. In September 2015 Nadine joined the Project Office of KUKA’s Corporate Research department; first as support for the RockEU and RockEU2 projects and since 2017 as analyst of social impacts of robotics. Here she has been actively contributing to the integrated technology development process and written analyses for both European and national research projects like REFILLS, MURAB and RoSylerNT. Her research interests lie in the ethical and psycho-social impacts of robots in human-robot interaction.

MD specialized in Clinical Psychology, is professor of Psychology at the Medical School of the University of Milano. Her research work is devoted to the study of mental health indicators and daily experience fluctuation models across activity domains and cultural contexts, as well as among individuals experiencing chronic disease or social maladjustment. During three decades of intensive research work she has built the largest international databank on the psychological structure and phenomenology of flow (aka optimal experience) across cultures and activities. Her scientific production includes papers in international peer-reviewed journals, as well as authored and edited books. Especially relevant to the present project are The Wiley Blackwell Handbook of the Psychology of Positivity and Strengths-Based Approaches at Work (edited with L.Oades, M. Steger and J. Passmore, 2017) and Flow at work: Measurement and implications (edited with C. Fullagar, Routledge, 2017). Since 2010 she is Editor in Chief of the Journal of Happiness Studies.

Alberto holds a MSc in Physics and Physics Technology from the University of Cantabria (Spain) and joined BioRICS in 2019 as a Project Engineer in R&D. Within BioRICS Alberto is taking care of algorithm development. His main interests and experiences are within the field of data analysis of biological signals to monitor the physical condition and well-being of animals and humans. Alberto also takes interest in collecting the relevant information from the data analysis and translating it in a comprehensive way for the different types of users.

Graduated from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Zagreb. She used to work more than 20 years in the biggest national newspapers as a columnist, a redactor and an editor. Besides the experience in the private sector, she also has an experience in the public sector working in the Government Office for Social Partnership, the Agency for Mobility and European Programmes, the Institute for Occupational Safety Improvement and the Ministry of Labour. She has a wide range of experience as a project manager (writing project proposals, controlling the implementation of projects and implementing projects) and as an OSH expert she took part in the TAIEX mission. On behalf of the Croatian Government she is a member of the EU Advisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work.

11:45 - 13:00 - BREAKOUT SESSION
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Daily EEG for People with a Brain Disorder

This breakout session will give an in-depth look at the current state and future developments of EEG technology for daily use. Speakers from different backgrounds will present their (consumer) wearable EEG, clinical-grade wearable EEG and implantable EEG, augmented by an overview of the wealth of possibilities daily EEG would bring to people living with a brain disorder. In the first half of the session, each speaker will present the latest development in their field in about 10 minutes. Next, the session will continue with a moderated debate on the future of daily EEG and how this can impact people with a brain disorder.

Daily EEG for People with a Brain Disorder

A social and innovative digital business leader with a critical and empathetic mindset, a lot of sense for responsibility and humor. And a touch of non-conformism. Loves the journey towards truly disruptive experiences by smart innovation and agility.

Julie is a fast-learning, engaging and team-minded Neuroscientist. During my PhD and postdoc (VIB), she became an expert in molecular neuroscience and brain plasticity. Internationally, she worked abroad in a top-level neuroscience lab in Montréal. She loves to deploy my endless scientific curiosity, passion and collaborative spirit to make a difference in society. After 2 years of experience in product development, she is currently taking on the role of Medical Stakeholder Ambassador at Byteflies. She is positioned at the interface between product & sales teams and medical experts, the pharma industry and top-notch hospitals to set up wearable health solutions for Epilepsy. Ultimately, Byteflies’s mission is to make health care more personal, proactive, accessible, affordable and equitable, especially for people with chronic conditions.

More info: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvinchantw/

15:40 - 16:55 - BREAKOUT ROOMS

Our session will explore four components of brain capital focused policy and investment innovations.

First, Dr. Harris Eyre will introduce brain capital. Brains are indispensable drivers of human progress. Why not invest more heavily in them? Dr. Eyre will talk about efforts to place brain capital at the center of a new narrative to fuel economic and societal recovery and resilience, along with efforts from the OECD Neuroscience-inspired Policy Initiative.

Second, Erin Smith will discuss women’s brain health innovations. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated global mental health and gender inequalities. To improve women’s brain capital, we must incorporate new data: namely, the perspective and experience of women. Erin will discuss how solutions that consider the experience of women are more likely to create structural change across sectors, from neuroscience and health care to racial equality, public policy, and workplace norms.

Third, Dr. Caroline Montojo will talk about opportunities for public-private partnerships to advance neuroscience within society. Major national investments are being made into neuroscience research and neurotechnology development. New tools and technologies that carry strong ethical, legal, and social implications are rapidly touching upon the public sphere. Increased attention and investment into issues at the intersection of neuroscience and society will be critical. Dr. Montojo will discuss models for partnership between the public and private sectors to strengthen neuroscience’s role within society.

Fourth, Dr. Karen Rommelfanger will explore the competitive edge of neuroethics for neurotech innovators. The world is mobilizing around the allure of unlocking the mysteries of the brain from universities to healthcare and industry start-ups. Neurotechnology is rapidly developing to be applied in wide-ranging contexts. These advances in neuroscience continue to surface thorny ethical issues further complicated by diverse cultural assumptions about brain and mind. In this talk, Dr. Rommelfanger will discuss how neuroethics can be a creative tool to advance and accelerate the most societally impactful global neuroscience innovation.

Build brains better Brain capital focused policies and investments

Caroline Montojo, Ph.D., is the President and CEO of the Dana Foundation, a private philanthropic organization in New York City dedicated to advancing understanding about the brain. Dr. Montojo leads the Foundation into its next chapter which focuses on neuroscience within society, how neuroscience both reflects and informs society. This includes fields where neuroscience interfaces with the world, such as ethics, law, humanities, medicine, arts, social sciences, policy, education, and public engagement. Dr. Montojo was previously the Director of Life Sciences and the Director of Brain Initiatives at The Kavli Foundation where she worked closely with the Kavli Institutes to advance science. Dr. Montojo has been deeply involved in catalytic efforts to advance neuroscience, including the U.S Brain Initiative and the International Brain Initiative (IBI). She served as an elected spokesperson for the IBI, giving talks at multiple scientific conferences such as the International Conference on Learning and Memory, the US National Institutes of Health Advisory Committee to the Director of NIH Working Group on BRAIN Initiative 2.0, and the UC Irvine Brain Initiative Launch. She also contributes to publications on international neuroscience and neuroethics in editorials, articles, and perspectives. Dr. Montojo completed postdoctoral research in the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Her research at UCLA focused on investigating neural biomarkers for psychiatric illness using functional magnetic resonance imaging and behavioral techniques, for which she was awarded the Arnold Scheibel Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow in Neuroscience Award and the Stephen R. Mallory Schizophrenia Research Award. Dr. Montojo received her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, and completed her M.A. and Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University. She holds a Women in Leadership Certificate from the Cornell SC Johnson School of Business and was an invited member of the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Neurotechnology and the National Academy of Sciences’ Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders.

Dr. Karen S. Rommelfanger is a neuroethics strategist and researcher. She received her PhD in neuroscience and received postdoctoral training in neuroscience and neuroethics. Her research explores how evolving neuroscience and neurotechnologies challenge societal definitions of disease and medicine. Dr. Rommelfanger is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. She also Directs the Neuroethics and Neurotech Innovation Collaboratory and the Neuroethics Program Director at Emory University’s Center for Ethics. She holds editorial positions as Senior Associate Editor at the American Journal of Bioethics Neuroscience and is first neuroethicist to be called to the editorial advisory board of Neuron. She is dedicated to cross-cultural work in neuroethics is co-chair of the Neuroethics Workgroup of the International Brain Initiative and collaborates with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on implementing responsible neurotechnology recommendations. For the NIH, she is an appointed member to the NIH BRAIN Initiative Neuroethics Working Group and served as Neuroethics Subgroup member of the Advisory Committee to the Director at NIH for designing a roadmap for BRAIN 2025. Dr. Rommelfanger’s engages in cross-sectoral work as a member of the Global Futures Council of the World Economic Forum and neuroethics advisor with BrainMind a community of entrepreneurs and investors. A key part of her work is fostering dialogue across multiple stakeholders in neuroscience. As such she is a frequent contributor and commentator in popular media such as NPR, The New York Times, USA Today and The Huffington Post. She is founder of the newly formed international neuroethics think tank-Institute of Neuroethics (IoNx) and run a first-of-its kind neuroethics consulting firm (Neuroethics Co-Lab).

Erin is a technologist and brain health executive focused on building the future of brain health. She is an Atlantic Fellow for Brain Equity at the Global Brain Health Institute at UC San Francisco (UCSF) and a Thiel Fellow at Stanford focused on neuroscience and computer science. Erin has experience in building and applying deep technologies such as digital phenotyping, sensors, and imaging to brain health. She priorly ran a company that developed affective computing tools for Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Her publications have been featured in leading journals including Neuron, Molecular Psychiatry, and American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. Erin is the director of the PRODEO Institute, a think-tank focused on radical approaches to advancing brain health, and Vice President of PRODEO, a group of brain-health focused executives. She has had academic collaborations with Stanford University School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Weizmann Institute of Science, and the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Erin is a Y Combinator and Forbes 30 under 30 alumni and an AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador.

After growing up in Northern Queensland, Harris Eyre, MBBS PhD, originally trained in clinical medicine and neuroscience. He is now based in the US and is a global executive working to address the brain health pandemic. He is President of PRODEO, which propels forward novel brain health technology companies – supporting their business development, capital raising and product strategy. He is Co-Founder of the PRODEO Institute, which incubates and funds radical approaches to the global brain pandemic. For example, he is co-lead of the OECD-PRODEO Institute Neuroscience-inspired Policy Initiative which has been developed in collaboration with colleagues from the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, Gates Ventures, the Milken Institute, Johnson & Johnson, PWC and Fondation Fondamental. This initiative seeks to incubate new approaches to brain-based investing, economics and policy. His work is driven by breaking down disciplinary siloes to unlock unexpected advances. He is lead editor of the new book Convergence Mental Health with Oxford University Press. He maintains advisory or adjunct roles with the Healthy Brains Global Initiative, the American Psychological Association, the American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry and Deakin University. He is an alumnus of Forbes 30 Under 30 and the Fulbright Scholar program. He has authored 100+ papers and chapters in outlets such as Lancet Neurology, World Psychiatry and The RSA Journal.

Thomas Edison, one of the great minds of the second industrial revolution, once said that “the chief function of the body is to carry the brain around.”

Understanding the human brain – how it works and how it is afflicted by diseases and disorders – is an important frontier in science and society today.

10:50 - 11:15 - HOW TO SESSION
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How to Finance your Startup – Lessons from 10 years investing and coaching startups

Led by Imec.istart

11:45 - 12:05 - AGORA SESSION
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Teleneurorehabilitation

10:10 - 10:30 - AGORA SESSION
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Bridging gaps in brain innovation: adopting open science research practices to boost trust in neurotech

11:45 - 12:00 - BRAIN TALK
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Prof Marcello Massimini, A perturb-and-measure approach to detect consciousness in unresponsive patients

12:25 - 12:40 - AGORA SESSION
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DYRK1A, a novel therapeutic target for Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease

10:25 - 10:40 - BRAIN TALK
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Viktor Jirsa, Virtual Epileptic Patient technology

15:00 - 15:20 - AGORA SESSION
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Shifting the paradigm with Adaptive/Responsive Cranialized Brain Pacemaker to treat neurodegenerative diseases by cutting DBS surgery time in half!

10:55 - 11:15 - AGORA SESSION
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Relevance of gender issues in Neurology

15:45 - 16:05 - AGORA SESSION
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MindBot: a cobot platform to look after workers’ mental health

16:10 - 16:30 - AGORA SESSION
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Living with absence epilepsy - a parent's view on patient-driven innovation

11:45 - 12:10 - HOW TO SESSION
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Entrepreneurship in Healthcare: from start-up to corporate

Led by BlueHealth Innovation Centre

10:05 - 10:20 - BRAIN TALK
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Prof Lars Edvinsson, Brain Prize Winner

11:45 - 13:00 - BREAKOUT SESSION
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Daily EEG for People with a Brain Disorder

Daily EEG for People with a Brain Disorder

15:40 - 16:55 - BREAKOUT ROOMS

Build brains better Brain capital focused policies and investments

10:05 - 10:20 - BRAIN TALK
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Cannabinoids and the Brain

LARS EDVINSSON, BRAIN PRIZE WINNER

Thomas Edison, one of the great minds of the second industrial revolution, once said that “the chief function of the body is to carry the brain around.”

Understanding the human brain – how it works and how it is afflicted by diseases and disorders – is an important frontier in science and society today.

10:50 - 11:15 - HOW TO SESSION —How to Finance your Startup – Lessons from 10 years investing and coaching startups Led by Imec.istart

11:45 - 12:05 - AGORA SESSION—Teleneurorehabilitation

10:10 - 10:30 - AGORA SESSION—Bridging gaps in brain innovation: adopting open science research practices to boost trust in neurotech

11:45 - 12:00 - BRAIN TALK — Prof Marcello Massimini, A perturb-and-measure approach to detect consciousness in unresponsive patients

12:25 - 12:40 - AGORA SESSION—DYRK1A, a novel therapeutic target for Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease

10:25 - 10:40 - BRAIN TALK — Viktor Jirsa, Virtual Epileptic Patient technology

15:00 - 15:20 - AGORA SESSION—Shifting the paradigm with Adaptive/Responsive Cranialized Brain Pacemaker to treat neurodegenerative diseases by cutting DBS surgery time in half!

10:55 - 11:15 - AGORA SESSION—Relevance of gender issues in Neurology

15:45 - 16:05 - AGORA SESSION—MindBot: a cobot platform to look after workers’ mental health​

16:10 - 16:30 - AGORA SESSION—Living with absence epilepsy - a parent's view on patient-driven innovation ​

11:45 - 12:10 - HOW TO SESSION—Entrepreneurship in Healthcare: from start-up to corporate Led by BlueHealth Innovation Centre

10:05 - 10:20 - BRAIN TALK —Prof Lars Edvinsson, Brain Prize Winner

11:45 - 13:00 - BREAKOUT SESSION—Daily EEG for People with a Brain Disorder

Daily EEG for People with a Brain Disorder

15:40 - 16:55 - BREAKOUT ROOMS

Build brains better Brain capital focused policies and investments

10:05 - 10:20 - BRAIN TALK—Cannabinoids and the Brain

LARS EDVINSSON, BRAIN PRIZE WINNER

10:50 - 11:15 - HOW TO SESSION
—
How to Finance your Startup – Lessons from 10 years investing and coaching startups

Led by Imec.istart

11:45 - 12:05 - AGORA SESSION
—
Teleneurorehabilitation

10:10 - 10:30 - AGORA SESSION
—
Bridging gaps in brain innovation: adopting open science research practices to boost trust in neurotech

11:45 - 12:00 - BRAIN TALK
—
Prof Marcello Massimini, A perturb-and-measure approach to detect consciousness in unresponsive patients

12:25 - 12:40 - AGORA SESSION
—
DYRK1A, a novel therapeutic target for Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease

10:25 - 10:40 - BRAIN TALK
—
Viktor Jirsa, Virtual Epileptic Patient technology

15:00 - 15:20 - AGORA SESSION
—
Shifting the paradigm with Adaptive/Responsive Cranialized Brain Pacemaker to treat neurodegenerative diseases by cutting DBS surgery time in half!

10:55 - 11:15 - AGORA SESSION
—
Relevance of gender issues in Neurology

15:45 - 16:05 - AGORA SESSION
—
MindBot: a cobot platform to look after workers’ mental health

16:10 - 16:30 - AGORA SESSION
—
Living with absence epilepsy - a parent's view on patient-driven innovation

11:45 - 12:10 - HOW TO SESSION
—
Entrepreneurship in Healthcare: from start-up to corporate

Led by BlueHealth Innovation Centre

10:05 - 10:20 - BRAIN TALK
—
Prof Lars Edvinsson, Brain Prize Winner

11:45 - 13:00 - BREAKOUT SESSION
—
Daily EEG for People with a Brain Disorder

10:05 - 10:20 - BRAIN TALK
—
Cannabinoids and the Brain