Cambridge collaborates with government’s ARIA to revolutionise brain health with neurotechnology
An exciting new, multi-million pound, three-year collaboration has been unveiled between Cambridge and the government’s new Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA), focused on transforming brain health.
A host of partners, including the University of Cambridge, Babraham Research Campus and Cambridge University Health Partners, will work with ARIA to accelerate neuro-technologies designed to treat conditions such as depression, dementia, chronic pain, epilepsy and injuries to the nervous system.
The aim is to create a home for original thinkers struggling to find the funding, space and mentoring needed to stress-test radical ideas that will unlock new treatments with fewer side effects.
Open not just to academics, but innovators from all backgrounds and all locations, the partnership is designed to help create mass produced, affordable and clinic-ready technologies that could benefit millions of people
Dr Kristin-Anne Rutter, executive director of Cambridge University Health Partners: “This is an incredibly exciting and unique partnership that is all about turning radical ideas into practical, low-cost solutions that change lives.
“Cambridge is fielding its best team to make this work and using its networks to bring in the best people from all over the UK. From brilliant scientists to world-leading institutes, hospitals and business experts, everyone in this collaboration is committed to the ARIA partnership because, by working together, we all see an unprecedented opportunity to make a real difference in the world.”
Also featured in the partnership are Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge Network, Cambridge Neuroscience, the Milner Therapeutics Institute, Maxwell Centre and Vellos, which was co-founded by Prof Sir Tony Kouzarides to advance life science innovation through company creation. The Departments of Engineering and Psychiatry will be leading the University of Cambridge's involvement.
They will explore the potential of neuro-technology – that is, the use of technology to control the nervous system - which has the potential to deliver revolutionary treatments in the same way that heart pacemakers, cochlear implants and spinal implants have transformed medicine in recent decades.
Such technologies could also be used to treat autoimmune disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease and type-1 diabetes.
These technologies could take the form of electronic brain implants that reset abnormal brain activity or help deliver targeted drugs more effectively, or brain-computer interfaces that control prosthetic limbs, new gene therapies or cell therapies that train the patient’s own cells to fight disease.
George Malliaras, Prince Philip professor of technology at the University of Cambridge, an expert on neural interfaces, or brain implants, said: “Miniaturised devices have the potential to change the lives of millions of people currently suffering from neurological conditions and diseases where drugs have no effect.
“But we are working at the very edge of what is possible in medicine, and it is hard to find the support and funding to try radical, new things. That is why the partnership with ARIA is so exhilarating, because it will empower us to give brilliant people the tools to turn their original ideas into scalable, commercially viable devices that can have a global impact.”
Those behind the best ideas will be given the resources to test and scale up their ideas at pace.
Four out of every five people are affected by some kind of neurological and mental health disorders during their lifetime. It is said that these present a greater overall health burden than cancer and cardiovascular disease combined.
It has been estimated that 43 per cent of adults in the UK - some 28 million people - are living with some kind of chronic pain.
The three-year partnership comprises two programmes.
The Fellowship Programme will offer up to 18 fellowships.
Among them will be Blue Sky Fellows - innovators from across the UK with exciting neuro-technology ideas and the skills to translate them. They will receive funding for the rapid testing of their idea in Cambridge, along with mentorship from the Cambridge ecosystem’s best medical, scientific and business experts. The partners say they are looking for characters who think “at the very edge of the possible”, who do not fear failure and whose ideas could change lives around the world, but who are struggling to find funding from existing sources.
Meanwhile, Activator Fellows will be individuals from across the UK who have proof of concept validation for their neuro-technology but who need support to turn it into a business. They will be offered training in entrepreneurial skills including grant writing, IP management and clinical validation, so that their innovation can be made ready for the next stage in translation.
The Ecosystem Programme is the second element, and is designed to create a vibrant, UK-wide neurotechnology community where leaders from business, science, engineering, academia and the NHS can meet, spark ideas and form collaborations. This will involve quarterly events in Cambridge, road trip events across the UK and access to the existing Cambridge Network and Connect: Health Tech networks.
Dr Ben Underwood, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Cambridge and honorary consultant psychiatrist at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Physical and mental illnesses and diseases that affect the brain such as dementia are some of the biggest challenges we face both as individuals and as a society.
This funding will bring together different experts doing radical things at the very limits of science and developing new technology to improve healthcare. We hope this new partnership with the NHS will lead to better care and treatment for people experiencing health conditions.”
Dr Cathy Tralau-Stewart, executive director of the Milner Therapeutics Institute, said: “The Milner Institute’s ethos is that we must work together if we wish to unlock the power of emerging discoveries and accelerate science toward patient benefit.We look forward to working with ARIA and our Cambridge partners on this unique opportunity to make a difference.”
