Reconfigurable semiconductor technology for advanced neural implants

用于先进神经植入的可重构半导体技术

• 批准号: 10094495
• 金额: $ 79.64万
• 依托单位: MINT NEUROTECHNOLOGIES LTD
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Collaborative R&D
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2024 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=10094495
• 关键词: Reconfigurable; semiconductor; technology; advanced; neural

Neurological conditions are the leading cause of disability and the second cause of deaths worldwide. Monitoring and treating these diseases is incredibly difficult as targets are encased in thick bone and special membranes in the circulatory system block many drugs.Advanced neural implants, comprising electronics placed inside the skull or spine, are an exciting technology that could revolutionise our understanding of the brain and treat associated conditions---enabling people to walk again; children to hear for the first time; or relieving the symptoms of epilepsy or Parkinson's disease.However, such devices require complex electronics with tight constraints on size and power, whilst also complying with the most stringent regulatory requirements (Active Implantable Medical Devices). As a result, implants can take years and hundreds of millions of pounds to develop---a major barrier and risk for innovators, investors, and small-medium sized companies.Our vision is to create a set of modular chips (or microchips) that meet these challenges. Advanced packaging techniques combine these together into tiny systems to enable companies and researchers to rapidly address different needs. In this way, we minimise implant size and power consumption, opening up new approaches for surgery (akin to the switch to keyhole surgery) that reduce risks to patients.This project is a collaboration between Mint Neurotechnologies, Amber Therapeutics, and Imperial College London to co-create a "chipset" (group of chips designed to work together for a specific application) and package it into a device. This will first constitute the electronics of a medical device for treating mixed urinary incontinence (no other treatment available on the market yet) and will unlock new device therapies beyond the first application.More long-term, these chipset and packaging capabilities will enable faster, cheaper development of implants, making the technology accessible for patients with rarer or currently untreated neurological conditions.

神经系统疾病是导致残疾的主要原因，也是全球第二大死亡原因。监测和治疗这些疾病是非常困难的，因为目标被包裹在厚厚的骨头里，循环系统中的特殊膜会阻挡许多药物。先进的神经植入物，包括放置在头骨或脊柱内的电子设备，是一项令人兴奋的技术，可以彻底改变我们对大脑的理解，并治疗相关疾病-使人们再次行走，儿童第一次听到声音，然而，这些设备需要复杂的电子设备，在尺寸和功率方面受到严格限制，同时还符合最严格的监管要求（有源植入式医疗设备）。因此，植入物可能需要数年时间和数亿英镑的开发-这是创新者、投资者和中小型公司的主要障碍和风险。我们的愿景是创造一套模块化芯片（或微芯片），以满足这些挑战。先进的封装技术联合收割机将这些结合在一起，形成微小的系统，使公司和研究人员能够快速满足不同的需求。通过这种方式，我们最大限度地减少了植入物的尺寸和功耗，开辟了新的手术方法（类似于改用锁孔手术），从而降低了患者的风险。该项目是Mint Neurotechnologies、Amber Therapeutics和帝国理工学院之间的合作。伦敦共同创建一个“芯片组”（设计用于特定应用的芯片组）并将其封装到设备中。这将首先构成用于治疗混合性尿失禁（目前市场上还没有其他治疗方法）的医疗设备的电子器件，并将开启首次应用之外的新设备疗法。更长远的是，这些芯片组和封装能力将使植入物的开发更快，更便宜，使该技术适用于罕见或目前未经治疗的神经系统疾病患者。