UK neurotechnology needs funding and policy support to thrive

Pleased to share our new Centre for British Progress report on steps to accelerate UK neurotechnology development. https://lnkd.in/eRdXuF8d The UK has the ingredients to lead: world-class universities and labs, strong clinical neuroscience centres, and a fast-growing startup base, often within a short train ride of each other. However, specific bottlenecks across regulation, commissioning, health-system delivery, and research still slow device development and translation. We focus on tractable solutions to scale what already works and unlock the next wave of therapies. If you’re a clinician, policymaker, or researcher interested in piloting these proposals, we’d welcome a conversation. Thanks to my co-author Roa Powell, and to Jacques Carolan and Julia Willemyns for their support. Thanks also to everyone in the UK community who shared data and experience.

A major milestone for rehabilitation research at MUSC! 👏   Dr. Steven Kautz, chair of the Department of Health Sciences and Research, has received a $6.5 million NIH center grant to launch the Neuro-PRECISE: Center for Advancing Precision Neural Circuit-Based Rehabilitation at MUSC!   Over the next five years, the center will lead 10+ innovative research projects, offer state-of-the-art core facility services, fund pilot projects, and train researchers across the country.   👏 Congratulations to Dr. Kautz and the neurorehabilitation research team on this remarkable achievement and continued leadership in advancing rehabilitation science. #MUSC #MUSCCHP #CHP https://lnkd.in/ehJ7z7ft

⭐ LINC researchers awarded prestigious SCPRA awards ⭐ Five researchers from the Liverpool Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Centre have been awarded prestigious Senior Clinical and Practitioner Research Awards (SCPRA) by the NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research). The highly competitive award provides protected time for clinical academics and practitioners to pursue research and professional development within their current roles. It is designed to foster innovation, leadership, and impact across a wide range of clinical disciplines. The recipients are: - Selina Johnson, Clinical Research Fellow and Pain Specialist Physiotherapist, The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust and Charity - Janine Winterbottom, Consultant Nurse in Epilepsy, The Walton Centre - Saif Huda, Consultant Neurologist, The Walton Centre - Nish Srikandarajah, Consultant Neurosurgeon, The Walton Centre - Lauren Hepworth, Senior Lecturer at University of Liverpool and Honorary Consultant Orthoptist, Northern Care Alliance NHS Group Professor Benedict Michael, Director of the Liverpool Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Centre, said: "It is brilliant to see so many NIHR SCPR Awards from across the breadth of Liverpool Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Centre’s research and particularly the strong representation from non-medical professionals. The Awards provide vital protected research and development time for clinical colleagues, and I can’t wait to see how their plans progress and advance research which leads to better outcomes for patients." Coming soon: A video series featuring our award-winning researchers and their current research projects. Each episode will highlight their clinical roles, research focus, and the impact of their work.

New Cleveland Clinic research will gather data derived from deep brain stimulation (DBS) devices to study neural mechanisms underlying the benefits of aerobic exercise in people with advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD). The study, led by Jay Alberts, PhD, Vice Chair of Innovation at Cleveland Clinic’s Neurological Institute and Staff, Biomedical Engineering, has been awarded a five-year, $3.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. It expands upon the Alberts lab's seminal tandem cycling study, which established the positive effects of aerobic exercise on motor, memory and cognitive processing symptoms in those with PD. Learn more about the study: https://lnkd.in/gQpJBdp2 Learn more about how Cleveland Clinic is transforming the landscape of neurological care and how you can make a difference: https://lnkd.in/dhc4r4jb #ClevelandClinic #Innovation #Parkinsons #NeurologicalCare

Second-year students Cheyenne Ahamed and Lam Nguyen are celebrating publication in a peer-reviewed journal — a major milestone rarely reached so early in medical training. Mentored by neurosurgeon-scientist Kevin Kumar, M.D., Ph.D., they applied hands-on learning in translational research to publish a manuscript in Neuro-Oncology Advances exploring differences between adult and pediatric brain tumors. “Seeing students publish in a major journal this early is a significant achievement and a testament to their abilities, dedication and curiosity,” says James Korndorffer, M.D., vice dean of education. “It reflects Dell Med’s distinctive approach — a culture of innovation, collaboration and inquiry where students are encouraged from day one to pursue research, ask questions and make meaningful contributions to medicine.” Learn more: https://bit.ly/3WFs66n

Second-year students Cheyenne Ahamed and Lam Nguyen are celebrating publication in a peer-reviewed journal — a major milestone rarely reached so early in medical training. Mentored by neurosurgeon-scientist Kevin Kumar, M.D., Ph.D., they applied hands-on learning in translational research to publish a manuscript in Neuro-Oncology Advances exploring differences between adult and pediatric brain tumors. “Seeing students publish in a major journal this early is a significant achievement and a testament to their abilities, dedication and curiosity,” says James Korndorffer, M.D., vice dean of education. “It reflects Dell Med’s distinctive approach — a culture of innovation, collaboration and inquiry where students are encouraged from day one to pursue research, ask questions and make meaningful contributions to medicine.” Learn more: https://bit.ly/3WFs66n

🔬 Sharing insights from ISPRM 2025 Marrakesh 2025 — Cochrane Rehabilitation Session on New Frontiers in Rehabilitation Research Today at ISPRM 2025, I had the honour of presenting at the Cochrane Rehabilitation, Functioning and Disability session, titled “New Frontiers for Research in Rehabilitation: How to Collect and Disseminate Evidence and the Contribution from the Cochrane Rehabilitation Functioning and Disability Thematic Group.” My talk — “Advancing Reporting in Rehabilitation Research through the Guide-Rehab Framework” — focused on how we can improve the transparency, precision, and replicability of rehabilitation studies, through an understanding of: -The methodological pitfalls that often limit rehabilitation research and the need to address uncertainty through the principles of evidence-based medicine. -The importance of clearly defining the “I” in PICO — that is, specifying the intervention — by using theory-based tools such as the Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System (RTSS). -The GUIDE-Rehab framework, a structured guideline developed within Cochrane Rehabilitation, to enhance the description of rehabilitation interventions in research reporting. -Ongoing future steps, such as mapping rehabilitation interventions (e.g., robotic gait training post-stroke) in relation to their theoretical underpinnings, targets, and measurable outcomes It was a privilege to contribute alongside my esteemed colleagues: Carlotte Kiekens – on advancing evidence-based rehabilitation in alignment with the WHO Resolution on strengthening rehabilitation in health systems Francesca Gimigliano – on prioritising evidence synthesis in rehabilitation through the eBook strategy Stefano Negrini – on methodological advancements to improve primary research in rehabilitation Together, we reaffirmed the shared vision of Cochrane Rehabilitation: ensuring that rehabilitation research is rigorous, transparent, and clinically meaningful. A heartfelt thanks to all colleagues and participants who joined this stimulating discussion — and to Cochrane Rehabilitation for continuously fostering collaboration across disciplines. #ISPRM2025 #CochraneRehabilitation #GuideRehab #EvidenceBasedRehabilitation #FunctioningAndDisability #ResearchTransparency #RehabilitationScience Univpm

🌟 AMERICAN INNOVATION IN ACTION: 87.5% Seizure Reduction via Precision Brain Stimulation Just published in Nature Communications (2025): A game-changing NIH-funded study proves personalized thalamic stimulation slashes seizures by 87.5%, but only when matched to each patient’s unique brain network. This breakthrough led by Drs. Jorge Gonzalez-Martinez and Elvira Pirondini at UPMC / University of Pittsburgh Neural Engineering Cross-Translation (UP NExT) program, a bold public engine turning taxpayer-funded research into real-world cures. What’s new? 🥇 First-ever “hodological matching” framework: 7T MRI + AI + sEEG → target the exact thalamic nucleus wired to the seizure zone. 📉 From 8.3% to 87.5% seizure reduction — no guesswork, no waste. 📈 UP NExT model: Academic surgeons + engineers + NIH grants → faster, cheaper, better outcomes. Why this matters to MAGA & taxpayers: 🇺🇸 American tech, American jobs: US-built 7T imaging, U.S. surgeons, U.S. innovation. 🧠 Smart spending: NIH dollars (R01NS122927, R01NS131428) → massive ROI: fewer ER visits, less disability, lower Medicaid costs. UP NExT proves it: Cross-translational research = efficiency + results. 💸 Your tax dollars didn’t just fund a paper, they funded freedom from seizures. Read it: https://lnkd.in/edPBYXWt #Epilepsy #PrecisionMedicine #NeuralEngineering #UPNExT #NIHResearch #AmericanInnovation #MAGA #TaxpayerValue #PittsburghProud #BrainHealth #AmericaFirst #AmericanJobs

A novel study conducted at University Hospitals and the VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System, through its Cleveland Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) Center, shows that long-term dynamic exercise programs might have wider restorative effects on the brain signals of Parkinson’s disease patients than researchers previously thought. Researchers used recordings from participants’ deep brain stimulation (DBS) devices to try to assess how long-term exercise programs might be re-activating connections damaged by Parkinson’s disease. Unlike previous studies, this investigation sought to decode the brain changes linked to motor symptom relief; both with the help of second-generation DBS devices and a long-term dynamic cycling exercise regimen in Parkinson’s patients. The pilot investigation, funded by a VA Merit Award from the Department of Veterans Affairs along with philanthropic funds to the Department of Neurology at University Hospitals (Penni and Stephen Weinberg Chair in Brain Health), was led by UH & VA neurologist Aasef Shaikh, MD, PhD, who is also Vice Chair for Research at University Hospitals, Professor of Neurology, and Associate Medical Director of the Cleveland FES Center. Prajakta Joshi, lead author of the study, is a PhD candidate in biomedical engineering at the Shaikh Lab that is part of University Hospitals and Cleveland FES Center at the LOUIS STOKES CLEVELAND VA MEDICAL CENTER. “We’ve already established over years of study that dynamic cycling regimens are beneficial for treating Parkinson’s tremor,” said Dr. Shaikh. “The latest study adds the use of deep brain stimulation and an ongoing exercise program to visualize how long-term exercise might be rewiring neural connections in the brain.” Read more at https://lnkd.in/dgXi32CK #Parkinsonsdisease #exercise #dynamiccycling #DBS #research #physicianexcellence #patientsfirst

Tom Fuchs: Transforming MS Progression Research Tom Fuchs has advanced MS research with groundbreaking work on cognitive PIRA, the DAAE score, and network collapse, translating his BNAC PhD training into internationally recognized tools and concepts shaping the future of MS care. https://lnkd.in/eg4AS8Nv