Descrizione del progetto
Nuovo sistema di stimolazione e registrazione per pazienti con depressione resistente al trattamento
Il disturbo depressivo maggiore è un disturbo dell’umore che può interferire con la vita quotidiana e rappresenta uno dei principali fattori che contribuiscono al carico di malattia globale. Circa un terzo dei pazienti con disturbo depressivo maggiore non risponde ai trattamenti stabiliti. Inoltre, come strumento diagnostico sono necessari biomarcatori affidabili per la depressione. Il progetto UPSIDE, finanziato dall’UE, si propone di affrontare questi problemi. A tal fine, ricercherà e convaliderà in vivo una neurotecnologia ibrida costituita da uno stimolatore a ultrasuoni epidurale focalizzato e un sistema di registrazione EEG epidurale ad alta densità. Il lavoro del progetto porterà a una dimostrazione, aprendo la strada a trattamenti personalizzati per i pazienti affetti da depressione resistente al trattamento.
Obiettivo
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting 300 million people with a lifetime prevalence of 15%. Approximately one third of all MDD patients fail to respond to currently established treatments based on medication and psychotherapy, thus falling into the category of Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD) patients. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (tRMS), Vagus nerve stimulation, deep brain stimulation (DBS) and transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) still show poor spatial resolution (ECT, tRMS, tFUS) or low network coverage (VNS, DBS), with average remission rates in clinical trials still lower than 30 %. Apart from the existing stimulation hurdles, reliable biomarkers for depression are needed as a diagnostic tool, and, in the case of NT, to determine the stimulation efficacy and allow for personalized treatment. The UPSIDE project proposes a minimally invasive, high spatial resolution and multi-brain region stimulation and recording system to largely exceed the capabilities of existing NT for depression. Our objective is to research and validate in vivo an hybrid neurotechnology consisting of an epidural focused ultrasound (eFUS) stimulator employing three-dimensional beamforming, and a high-density epidural EEG recording system. Epidural deployment of these devices will be enabled by novel methods for massive integration and miniaturization of high-performing piezoelectric ultrasound materials and high-fidelity organic bioelectronic materials with high energy-efficient complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology in a biocompatible manner. The UPSIDE project will result in a demonstrator which will allow, for the first time, network stimulation and simultaneous biomarker readout in behavioral experiments with animal models featuring depression-like symptoms. This technological breakthrough will pave the way towards a personalized treatment for TRD.
Campo scientifico
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
- HORIZON.3.1 - The European Innovation Council (EIC) Main Programme
Argomento(i)
Invito a presentare proposte
HORIZON-EIC-2021-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES-01
Vedi altri progetti per questo bandoMeccanismo di finanziamento
HORIZON-EIC - HORIZON EIC GrantsCoordinatore
2628 CN Delft
Paesi Bassi