Project Details

We address the unmet need for personalized treatment in major depressive disorder. Leveraging world-leading Danish industrial and academic expertise on non-invasive brain stimulation and neuroimaging, we will bring a new non-invasive stimulation therapy that accurately and selectively targets the individual dysfunctional brain circuits to the market. Our personalized precision brain-circuit therapy (Precision-BCT) integrates novel brain stimulation and imaging technology in an efficient clinical workflow to provide personalized depression treatment grounded in the underlying circuit- dysfunction. Showcasing Precision-BCT in depression will prompt its application in other major brain diseases.

Our overall aim is to develop and commercialize a stimulation-based, personalized precision-brain-circuit therapy to be used in major depressive disorder (MDD).

Leveraging major scientific discoveries pinpointing the underlying brain-circuit dysfunctions in MDD, we will create a therapeutic precision stimulation tool – a non-invasive therapeutic tool which can, for the first time, efficiently and selectively target the underlying brain-circuit dysfunction in individual MDD patients, as revealed by functional brain imaging.

Personalized Precision-BCT will offer unprecedented spatial and temporal precision in treating MDD, and thus yield superior clinical efficacy and less side effects than currently used FDA-approved TMS treatment protocols

Specific objectives

Objective 1. We will develop novel Precision-BCT technologies for coordinated transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of multiple brain areas.

Objective 2. We will integrate these technologies in a feasible clinical workflow built around a new multi-site TMS device that can deliver highly flexible and precise electromagnetic stimulation patterns to the target brain circuit.

Objective 3. We will test clinical feasibility and effectiveness in terms of better target engagement and modification of the dysfunctional brain circuits compared to standard one-size-fits all TMS therapy.

Objective 4. We will introduce Precision-BCT to the market

Precision stimulation medicine will become reality

We will showcase Precision-BCT as personalized depression treatment of the future, but our Precision-BCT approach is generic and translatable to other brain diseases. If successful in MDD, we anticipate that Precision-BCT will be applied in many major neuropsychiatric diseases. This will trigger a paradigm shift in therapeutic brain stimulation, making precision stimulation medicine a reality.

Since Denmark will be the pace-maker for this paradigm shift, the project will create substantial value for Danish industry and society.