The UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) Medical Research Council (MRC) has launched a new £50m ($68.6m) centre spread across collaborator sites in the UK to develop brain stimulation devices.
Led by researchers from institutions, including the University of Oxford and Great Ormond Street Hospital, the Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE) in Restorative Neural Dynamics aims to develop devices for treating conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, dementia, and stroke.
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Government body UKRI will dispense the funding over 14 years.
The research group will primarily focus on ‘neural dynamics’, defined as the complex and changing patterns of activity across networks of nerve cells in the brain that underlie behaviour, and assess how these are disturbed in brain disorders.
According to the researchers, the work will enable the development of novel interventions and devices, from brain implants to wearable devices, that aim to improve how the brain and body function.
Peter Magill, professor of neurobiology at the University of Oxford and director of the CoRE in Restorative Neural Dynamics, commented: “Medical devices delivering brain stimulation can target disturbed neural dynamics with high precision and accuracy.
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By GlobalData“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.”
Integrating new therapies into the NHS
Working alongside partners including research charities, regulatory agencies, and the broader neurotechnology industry, CoRE researchers said their eventual aim is to progress from discovery research to experimental medicine and first-in-human trials, with the end goal to commercialise new device-based therapies and make them a “part of everyday care” in the UK National Health Service (NHS).
Professor Magill continued: “To make these devices a part of everyday care in the NHS, we need approaches and technologies that provide greater clinical benefits and are also accessible, scalable and cost-effective.”
The CoRE in Restorative Neural Dynamics’ launch follows the UK government’s announcement that the NHS is set to receive a £29bn ($39.1bn) funding boost over the next three years, resonating with the UK government’s aims to make the NHS a world-leading healthcare system and resolve some of its longstanding challenges such as patient bottlenecks.
UK minister for science, innovation and technology Lord Vallance commented: “Creating a dedicated centre to explore how to develop more targeted brain stimulation devices could improve the lives of millions across the UK and beyond who are living with conditions like Parkinson’s disease, dementia, and epilepsy.
“This centre, backed by government funding, will bring together researchers and partners in industry to develop new technology that could, in time, help the NHS and transform the lives of those suffering from these awful diseases, while also growing our economy.”
Neuromodulation is a rapidly advancing field. According to a report by GlobalData, the overall global neurological devices market is growing at a CAGR of 5.8% and is forecast to reach a valuation of $24.3bn by 2034, up from $13.9bn in 2024.
