Funded Projects

Browse wide-ranging research at the frontiers of neuroscience supported by Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute grants, awards, and training fellowships.

Projects

Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute
Neuroscience:Translate Award
2021
A minimally-invasive intracranial pressure microsensor (mICP) for long-term, continuous ambulatory monitoring
The limited available treatments (e.g., radiation, chemotherapy) for glioblastoma (GBM) can lead to swelling in the brain that causes elevated intracranial pressure (ICP), the timing of which is unpredictable; this results in the patient presenting to the emergency room with headaches, vomiting, or seizures, which leads to worsened quality of life and survival outcomes. We propose the refinement and pre-clinical validation of a pressure-sensing microfluidic ICP microsensor (mICP) that could be implanted in patients with GBM to detect elevated ICP early on.
Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute
Neuroscience:Translate Award
2022
Topical Hedgehog modulators to enhance motor nerve regeneration after injury and repair
This team has identified a small-molecule drug pathway that can improve functional recovery from nerve injury. The team will use the Neuroscience:Translate funds to test several approaches to topically apply this compound directly to damaged nerves during surgery to safely improve patient outcomes.
Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute
Neuroscience:Translate Award
2022
Extended Reality(XR) enhanced behavioral activation for treatment of Major Depressive Disorder

This team has created an extended reality–enhanced implementation of "behavioral activation," one of the most effective forms of evidence-based psychotherapy for major depression. They will use the Neuroscience:Translate award to test the efficacy and scalability of this approach and accelerate the development of extended reality technologies to improve treatment options for major depression.

Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute
Neuroscience:Translate Award
2022
Development of an extracochlear neurostimulation device to restore hearing – Renewal

Sensorineural hearing loss is an increasingly prevalent condition that causes disability to over a third of US adults aged over 65. This team is developing a breakthrough device to restore high-frequency hearing that preserves residual hearing through a reversible and minimally invasive approach.

Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute
Neuroscience:Translate Award
2022
Remote reliable measurements of movement using bluetooth enabled engineered keyboard for diagnosis of neurological diseases - Renewal

This team is developing a device that will enable accurate diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease via telemedicine. They initially introduced the technology of Quantitative DigitoGraphy (QDG) using a repetitive alternating finger tapping (RAFT) task on a musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) keyboard and will use Neuroscience: Translate funding for the next stage of device development.