John Ngai, PhD (NIH BRAIN Initiative)
The BRAIN Initiative: Laying the Foundation for Future Cures

Join a key discussion with John Ngai, Director of the US BRAIN Initiative, as he outlines the future of this transformative program. With foundational resources like brain atlases and disease models in motion, we are at a critical juncture in neuromodulation and BCI. Discover the potential of increased access to FDA-approved devices, AI advancements, and new biomarkers in revolutionizing neuropsychiatric therapeutics. The BrainMind ecosystem has a role to play in scaling these innovations—don’t miss this opportunity to shape the future of neuroscience.

Sridevi V. Sarma, PhD (Johns Hopkins University)
Novel Treatments for Epilepsy and Chronic Pain

NeuroTech Harbor (NTH) is an NIH-funded BluePrint Hub dedicated to supporting innovative devices and solutions for treating diseases of the central nervous system. In this talk, I will introduce NTH and its partner, the Center for Innovative NeuroTech Advancement (CINTA), highlighting our collaborative mission. I will showcase eleven projects currently supported by these hubs and outline our strategy to impact over 75 teams with more than $120 million in funding over the next five years.

Nina Vasan, PhD (Stanford)
LLMs for Mental Healthcare: Risks and Opportunities

Examining the impact of AI on mental health requires an understanding of the mixed effects of social media, which has both enhanced connectivity and contributed to risks like anxiety and depression. Collecting stories from users who have interacted with AI in therapeutic settings and daily life reveals the nuanced effects of these technologies on mental well-being. Understanding these personal experiences is essential for guiding the ethical development and implementation of AI technologies in mental health contexts.

Michael Lim, MD (Stanford)
Immunotherapy in Neuro-Oncology

This breakout will explore the frontier of brain cancer treatment, where cutting-edge research meets clinical practice. Dr. Lim will discuss how recent innovations in immunotherapy are offering new hope, and transforming treatment approaches for brain tumors. This session will highlight the potential for these advancements to significantly improve patient outcomes and pave the way for future breakthroughs in medical care.

Blake Gurfein, PhD (Humanity Neurotech)
Non-invasive Neurotech for Brain Inflammation and Cancer

Several new neurotech modalities are showing promise for treating brain inflammation, stroke, and brain cancer. Dr. Gurfein will review scientific and commercial advances as they relate to groundbreaking new treatments in neurology, psychiatry, and oncology.

Andre Fenton, PhD (NYU)
EEG for Everyone

Neuroengineering often targets well-resourced communities, yet 1-2% of people globally suffer from epilepsy, regardless of race or socioeconomic status. Astonishingly, 80% of these individuals remain undiagnosed due to a lack of access to EEG technology and specialists in low-resource areas. By developing affordable 25-cent EEG electrodes with integrated amplifiers and utilizing cloud-based AI for interpretation, access to neurodiagnostics can be democratized. The barrier isn’t technological but commercial, requiring significant shifts in North American healthcare economics. This talk will explain how to achieve this and the challenges involved in realizing such a transformative project.

Matthew Sacchet, PhD (Harvard Medical School, MGH)
Beyond “Mindfulness” Toward a Science of Advanced Meditation

Mindfulness is increasingly recognized worldwide as a way to enhance health and wellbeing. This session will focus on advanced meditation, exploring its effects, development processes, and mastery. We'll discuss the latest research directions in advanced meditation and its potential to boost human potential in various clinical and non-clinical settings.

Haleh Fotowat, PhD (Wyss Institute)
Towards Engineering Intelligent Motile Organoids with a Nervous System

A great deal is known about biological neural networks in animal models, which have arrived at their current structure-function relationship through evolution by natural selection. Little is known about how neurons taken from such animal models will develop and function in novel embodiments. I will talk about our work on constructing a novel class of motile biological organoids that incorporate neuronal tissue. Results from this work will significantly improve our understanding of how to ‘wire up’ functional biological neural networks that can drive desired behaviors and potentially mediate learning by experience. In addition to applications in biological robotics, our work will inform future research on regenerative medicine by shedding light on how damaged neuronal pathways could be wired back to their intended targets