NanoBRIGHT | BRInGing nano-pHoTonics into the brain

Summary
NanoBRIGHT will develop a new approach to optically interface with the brain, referred to as “photonic-physiology”: a new technique with high-translational appeal that exploits light-metals interactions to interface with the brain, targeting specific diseases including brain tumors, epilepsy and traumatic brain injuries. This will allow to reach the long-term vision of developing novel cutting-edge optical approaches to study and treat pathological conditions of the brain without using genetically-encoded proteins, which represent the main limitation for optogenetic techniques currently employed to interface with the neural tissue.

The approach will be based on a unique science-enabled technology exploiting the spatial selectivity properties of multimodal tapered optical fibers to activate a subset of high-density plasmonic hotspots along the taper. The resulting implantable devices will establish a new approach to interface with brain, striving at:

1- Demonstrate the capability of photonics for detecting and treating pathological conditions of the brain without the use of genetically-encoded proteins. We plan to exploit SERS to differentiate between primary and secondary brain tumors and to outline new methods to study oxidative stress in epileptogenic tissue.

2- Upscaling the range of physiological phenomena that can be controlled by light in vivo beyond those achieved so far by genetically encoded proteins, including vasodilation to locally increase permeability of the blood-brain-barrier thus enhancing pharmacological delivery in well-targeted regions of brain tumors.

3-Proving that unconventional combination between light-matter interactions and photonic-physiology can be used to analyze comorbidities between different diseases, testing the influence of brain tumors on epilepsy or tumor influence on the electrical activity of nearby and distal neural cells.
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More information & hyperlinks
Web resources: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/828972
Start date: 01-05-2019
End date: 30-04-2024
Total budget - Public funding: 3 496 197,50 Euro - 3 496 197,00 Euro
Cordis data

Original description

NanoBRIGHT will develop a new approach to optically interface with the brain, referred to as “photonic-physiology”: a new technique with high-translational appeal that exploits light-metals interactions to interface with the brain, targeting specific diseases including brain tumors, epilepsy and traumatic brain injuries. This will allow to reach the long-term vision of developing novel cutting-edge optical approaches to study and treat pathological conditions of the brain without using genetically-encoded proteins, which represent the main limitation for optogenetic techniques currently employed to interface with the neural tissue.

The approach will be based on a unique science-enabled technology exploiting the spatial selectivity properties of multimodal tapered optical fibers to activate a subset of high-density plasmonic hotspots along the taper. The resulting implantable devices will establish a new approach to interface with brain, striving at:

1- Demonstrate the capability of photonics for detecting and treating pathological conditions of the brain without the use of genetically-encoded proteins. We plan to exploit SERS to differentiate between primary and secondary brain tumors and to outline new methods to study oxidative stress in epileptogenic tissue.

2- Upscaling the range of physiological phenomena that can be controlled by light in vivo beyond those achieved so far by genetically encoded proteins, including vasodilation to locally increase permeability of the blood-brain-barrier thus enhancing pharmacological delivery in well-targeted regions of brain tumors.

3-Proving that unconventional combination between light-matter interactions and photonic-physiology can be used to analyze comorbidities between different diseases, testing the influence of brain tumors on epilepsy or tumor influence on the electrical activity of nearby and distal neural cells.

Status

SIGNED

Call topic

FETOPEN-01-2018-2019-2020

Update Date

27-04-2024
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Horizon 2020
H2020-EU.1. EXCELLENT SCIENCE
H2020-EU.1.2. EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Future and Emerging Technologies (FET)
H2020-EU.1.2.1. FET Open
H2020-FETOPEN-2018-2020
FETOPEN-01-2018-2019-2020 FET-Open Challenging Current Thinking