MINIGRAPH Consortium Holds Second General Assembly Meeting, Discusses Ethical Concerns and Advances in Neuroelectronic Therapies

by Àlex Argemí

MINIGRAPH consortium discusses latest advances in adaptive neuroelectronic therapies at second General Assembly meeting in Barcelona. The EIC Pathfinder project aims to explore the viability of groundbreaking technology for Parkinson's disease using novel materials and surgical procedures. Ethical concerns surrounding the project's neural technologies also addressed. Next meeting to be hosted by Fraunhofer IZM in Berlin in September 2023.

The MINIGRAPH consortium, an EIC Pathfinder project, held its second General Assembly meeting hosted at the ICN2 by ICREA Prof. Jose A. Garrido and his ICN2 Group. The meeting brought together 22 members of the consortium, including INBRAIN Neuroelectronics, IMEC, Fraunhofer IZM, MSRL (ETH-Zurich), Nanoflex Robotics AG, and Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), to discuss the latest progress in developing adaptive neuroelectronic therapies that address the limitations of current technology.

MINIGRAPH's groundbreaking technology will first be applied to Parkinson's disease (PD) to explore the viability of adaptive brain neuroelectronic therapy using novel materials and surgical procedures. The consortium aims to replace the active metal material of the electrodes with graphene-based technology, which represents a significant revolution in the field. The meeting saw the consortium share progress on each work package and updated plans for the different tasks, with the work advancing at the desired pace, bringing the consortium closer to its first outcomes.

In addition, the meeting saw the launch of a series of activities to address ethical concerns around the neural technologies developed in MINIGRAPH. Hanna Maslen, Deputy Director of the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics and the ethics advisor for this project, led a workshop with the participation of all attendees, discussing ethical concerns around brain-computer interfaces and brain neuromodulation therapies. The workshop also raised questions about animal testing and human trials and their ethical implications.

The MINIGRAPH consortium plans to meet again in September 2023, with Fraunhofer IZM hosting the next gathering in Berlin.

Information via: https://minigraph-project.eu/full-steam-ahead-for-minigraph-following-second-general-assembly-meeting/