Chronic Deep-Brain Micro-Endoscopy in Behaving Animal Models: Advancing Holographic Endoscopes Along the Path to Global Availability.

Projektinformationen

NEUROGATE

ID Finanzhilfevereinbarung: 101213906

DOI

10.3030/101213906

EK-Unterschriftsdatum 24 April 2025

Startdatum 1 Mai 2025

Enddatum 30 April 2028

Finanziert unter

• The European Innovation Council (EIC)

Gesamtkosten

Keine Daten

EU-Beitrag

€ 2 498 226,97

Koordiniert durch

LEIBNIZ-INSTITUT FUER PHOTONISCHE TECHNOLOGIEN E.V.
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - NEUROGATE (Chronic Deep-Brain Micro-Endoscopy in Behaving Animal Models: Advancing Holographic Endoscopes Along the Path to Global Availability.)

Berichtszeitraum: 2025-05-01 bis 2026-04-30

Zusammenfassung vom Kontext und den Gesamtzielen des Projekts

Understanding how the brain works requires observing how neurons communicate deep inside brain tissue. However, current imaging technologies cannot easily do this. Systems that provide very detailed images are usually large and can only look at the surface of the brain, while smaller tools that can reach deeper areas often produce lower-quality images or require invasive procedures.
NEUROGATE aims to solve this problem by developing a new type of imaging tool, the holographic micro-endoscope. This invasiveness of it's application extremely low and the observations can be achieved deep within the brain. It allows researchers to observe brain activity and structure at very high resolution over long periods of time, even in animals that are awake and behaving naturally.
The project focuses on three main goals:
• building and improving the technology,
• testing it in real biological experiments,
• and preparing it for future commercial use.

By combining these efforts, NEUROGATE aims to create a powerful new tool for neuroscience research, with potential long-term applications in medicine.

Arbeit, die ab Beginn des Projekts bis zum Ende des durch den Bericht erfassten Berichtszeitraums geleistet wurde, und die wichtigsten bis dahin erzielten Ergebnisse

Within the first phase of the project, NEUROGATE has made significant progress towards its objectives.
A key achievement is the development of the core imaging system, which has been built and tested. The system is flexible and can work with different types of optical fibres, making it adaptable for various experiments. It has been successfully installed and used in partner laboratories.
New types of optical fibres have been designed, produced, and tested. These fibres are essential for delivering light into the brain and collecting signals with high efficiency.
The development of brain–scope interfaces, allowing the imaging probes to be applied repeatedly at the same location within the brain have been developed and tested in-vivo, making it possible to monitor changes over extended periods of time without additional damage to the tissue.
A number of in-vivo experiments conducted during the 1st reporting period have demonstrated stable long-term imaging of neurons, monitoring of blood flow, and recording of brain activity signals across the whole depth of the living brain.

The project has carried out extensive market research, including interviews and surveys of key opinion makers within the field of in-vivo neuroscience. These confirmed a strong need for improved deep-brain imaging tools and assisted in firecting further development.
The project has boosted its intellectual property, with new patent applications protecting key innovations, and explored regulatory pathway for research and medical-use device.

Fortschritte, die über den aktuellen Stand der Technik hinausgehen und voraussichtliche potenzielle Auswirkungen (einschließlich der bis dato erzielten sozioökonomischen Auswirkungen und weiter gefassten gesellschaftlichen Auswirkungen des Projekts)

NEUROGATE goes beyond current technologies by combining three important attributes in a single technological solution:
• deep access into the brain,
• very high image quality,
• and minimal invasiveness.
A major innovation of NEUROGATE is the ability to perform chronic imaging across the whole depth of the brain, enabling researchers to repeatedly observe large amount of individual neuronal cells over extended periods of time. This is requisite for studying the onset and progression of a spectrum of debilitating diseases and how the brain changes during learning.
Importantly, the system allows researchers to explore multiple regions using a single implant, improving efficiency and reducing the number of animals deployed in experiments.
These advances open new possibilities for neuroscience research and will, in the future, support the development of medical diagnostic tools.

To reach the full impact of this technological prospect, further development will focus on testing the system in demanding experimental settings, improving the ease of use, and preparing for market entry.