Livermore lab researchers receive $2.5 million for implants to restore functioning in brain-injured patients

LIVERMORE -- Lawrence Livermore Lab scientists will play a key role in creating a device to restore memory function for those with traumatic brain injuries, Department of Defense officials said Tuesday.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency selected the lab's Neural Technology group for an award of up to $2.5 million to help develop a prosthetic device embedded in the brain that would bridge gaps in the brain's memory functions. It would be for service members, veterans and all those with traumatic brain injuries.

Researchers said it would sense memory deficits, encode neural signals and bridge gaps in the damaged brain, allowing the continued formation of new memories and recollection of old ones.

"Currently, there is no effective treatment for memory loss resulting from conditions like (traumatic brain injury)," said the lab's project leader, Sat Pannu, director of the Center for Bioengineering. "This is a tremendous opportunity from DARPA to leverage Lawrence Livermore's advanced capabilities to develop cutting-edge medical devices that will change the health care landscape."

The funding comes from DARPA's Restoring Active Memory (RAM) program, launched in 2013 in support of President Obama's Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) initiative.

The four-year RAM project is headed by DARPA program manager Dr. Justin Sanchez, and seeks to enable military veterans with traumatic brain injury to function as they did prior to their injuries.

"We're trying to change the game on the options that are available to our service members when it comes to traumatic brain injury and come up with therapies for those injuries," Sanchez said. "At the end of the day, we'd like to help find solutions for the emotional, social, and economic impacts (of TBI).

About 270,000 military veterans have been affected by traumatic brain injury since 2000, Sanchez said. Another estimated 1.7 million American civilians are impacted by TBI every year.

The Livermore lab is partnering with researchers at UCLA and medical device manufacturer Medtronic on the prosthetic, which will be developed at the lab's Center for Bioengineering.

The University of Pennsylvania is also collaborating on the RAM program and will receive up to $22.5 million to study patients with various neurological disorders and create a system for simultaneously monitoring and stimulating different areas of the brain.

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Livermore lab researchers receive $2.5 million for implants to restore functioning in brain-injured patients