Oxford to lead new £50m Centre to develop brain stimulation device-based therapies

The MRC CoRE in Restorative Neural Dynamics will receive up to £50 million over 14 years, and will be led by researchers at the University of Oxford, Cardiff University, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, Imperial College London and Newcastle University.

The centre team will investigate 'neural dynamics’, the complex and changing patterns of activity across networks of nerve cells in the brain that underlie behaviour. They will study how neural dynamics arise in health and are disturbed in brain disorders.

The team will exploit knowledge of neural dynamics as they develop novel interventions and technology – ranging from brain implants to non-invasive and wearable devices – that could improve how the brain and body functions.

"By sharing expertise and resources with stakeholders across the UK’s research and innovation ecosystem, we can collectively accelerate progress and meet user needs with safe, effective and economical solutions."

The Oxford researchers span two University divisions and are based at the Department of Engineering Science and the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences. 

Professor Peter Magill, Director of the new MRC CoRE in Restorative Neural Dynamics, from the University of Oxford, says: ‘Medical devices delivering brain stimulation can target disturbed neural dynamics with high precision and accuracy. But their advantages for therapy have not been fully realised because the link between neural dynamics and the clinical use of devices is often weak or missing. We can achieve the step change needed by seizing untapped opportunities to exploit dynamics with next-generation devices so that healthy neural dynamics are restored for improved therapeutic outcomes. Gaining a better understanding of how neural circuits work from moment to moment, and how this goes wrong in brain disorders, is key to this.

He adds, "Our research approach is centred on patients. To make these devices a part of every-day care in the NHS, we need interventions and technologies that provide greater clinical benefits and are also accessible, scalable and cost-effective. We also know that one size will not fit all. Everyone’s lived experience with these conditions is different. So, it’s important that we tailor treatments to meet diverse needs and priorities. We can tackle this by intelligently interacting with neural dynamics in affected brain areas at the right times and with the best tools"

"This exciting endeavour is not just about the research but also how we will deliver it. Our ambition is to set new benchmarks in research culture, stakeholder involvement, and collaborative working between public and private sectors. We aim to create a national asset that empowers and enables people and organisations across the board."

The centre will initially focus on developing device-based approaches that harness neural dynamics to improve symptom relief and quality of life for people with brain conditions affecting movement, memory and sleep. In the longer term, the team aims to use devices to reorganise brain circuits and slow down clinical progression, for example by taking advantage of mechanisms that govern the strength of connections between nerve cells. The researchers will study neural dynamics in mouse models, with computational modelling, and using human data, integrating these activities with device hardware and software development.

The MRC CoRE will work closely with clinical teams, research charities, regulatory agencies, and neurotechnology industry, including UK-based Amber Therapeutics, who last year worked with NHS partners to support a first-in-human trial of an implanted brain stimulation device to reduce seizures in a child with epilepsy. Capitalising on their experience, the centre team aims to progress from discovery research to experimental medicine and first-in-human trials, paving the way for commercialisation and healthcare system adoption of new therapies so they reach the people who need them.

Professor Timothy Denison, RAE Chair in Emerging Technologies, who is part of the new centre’s leadership team, says: "Groundbreaking neurotechnology allows interactions with the brain in ways that were not possible just a few years ago. The pipeline for medical devices is now well positioned to not only enable clinical neuroscience research but also to successfully apply discoveries in the NHS and beyond. By sharing expertise and resources with stakeholders across the UK’s research and innovation ecosystem, we can collectively accelerate progress and meet user needs with safe, effective and economical solutions."