Brain chip in the making to treat depression
Technology
The device is a technique that uses magnetic fields to tweak brain activity
(Web Desk) - Abiotech startup called Motif Neurotech is working on a brain implant designed to alleviate treatment-resistant depression.
The startup began as a research project at Rice University and has secured $18.75 million in Series A funding, led by Arboretum Ventures.
The brain chip is under development and has not been thoroughly tested in humans or gone through a clinical trial; even with the new funding, such tests of its safety and ability to treat depression in people are likely years away and the company had no timeline for these trials.
Rather, Motif Neurotech will use the money to develop its fingertip-sized, battery-free implant further.
In a preliminary paper published in 2023, Motif Neurotech founder and CEO Jacob Robinson and a team of researchers described initial testing of their implant in a person undergoing brain surgery for an unrelated issue and a pig.
The device is designed to act similarly to a therapy called transcranial magnetic stimulation, which is a technique that uses magnetic fields to tweak brain activity and has to be performed in a clinic over multiple sessions to be effective.
The company, which touts its development of “minimally invasive” neural implants, said the funding will go towards furthering the development of its flagship product, a finger-tip sized, battery-free implant called the DOT microstimulator that it says can be installed via a 20-minute operation and can be used at home, rather than in a clinical setting.
Because the device generates its own energy, the design reduces some of the logistical complexities other brain chips have, like the need for leads, battery packs and wires.
And Motif Neurotech says their chip can be installed in 20 minutes and, if it is ever approved for use, could be used without clinical supervision.
"Minimally-invasive bioelectronics are the future of mental health treatment," said Motif CEO and founder Jacob Robinson in a statement. "30% of patients with depression don’t respond to two or more medications, and there is a significant need for additional treatment options that are effective and easily accessible."
