NEMO-BMI: Auto-adaptive NEuroMOrphic
Brain-Machine Interface: toward
fully-embedded neuroprosthetics

The NEMO-BMI project aims at developing disruptive miniaturized Brain Machine Interfaces to restore mobility for patients with chronic spinal cord injury in their daily life.

Funded by European Innovative Council (pathfinder challenge project).

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Nearly 746,000 people sustain a spinal cord injury every year, with dramatic human, societal, and economic costs, leading to impairment or complete loss of motor functions. Motor Brain-Machine Interfaces (BMIs) translate brain neural signals into commands to external effectors. BMIs raise hopes that limb mobility may be restored, providing patients with control over orthoses, prostheses, or over their own limbs using electrical stimulation. The NEMO BMI project will conduct the exploration of assistance-free and easy-to-use portable neuroprosthetics by leveraging two implantable breakthrough technologies.This includes a wireless neuronal activity recorder, a real-time neuronal activity decoder based on integrated technologies, and a spinal cord stimulator.

To address the need of the largest number of patients with SCI, the next generation of BMI needs to be compatible with daily, autonomous use.

Motor Brain Machine Interfaces (BMIs) aim at translating brain neural signals into commands to robotic [1] or implanted electrical stimulator [2][3] effectors. The ongoing clinical trials carried out by EPFL, and CEA (STIMO-BSI – NCT04632290, and ‘BCI & Tetraplegia’ – NCT02550522) raise great hopes for SCI patients. They effectively assess the feasibility of chronic motor BMIs, based on the WIMAGINE® wireless Electrocorticogram (ECoG) recording implant, for long-term use in daily life.

Epidural spinal stimulation aims to translate the commands into electrical stimulator effectors. ONWARD has developed ARCIM Therapy, an implantable medical grade neurostimulation platform with unique real-time control capabilities. This platform includes a implantable pulse generator (IPG) that enables real-time control of 16 stimulation channels.

In the NEMO-BMI project, we will develop new auto-adaptive algorithms for brain decoding and spinal cord stimulation that will significantly contribute to enhancing knowledge on brain adaptation mechanisms. We foresee novelty in the design and implementation of neuromorphic hardware to sustain fast, secure, miniaturized and low-power neuroprosthetics.

Consortium Members and Expertise

Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies alternatives (CEA)

About CEA-Leti Clinatec

The Clinatec biomedical research center is within the CEA Grenoble, a research technological center of French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission.  Clinatec combines medical research and technological innovation at the same place to translate new solutions to patients. R&D is conducted by the CEA and the Grenoble University hospital (CHUGA) oversees clinical trials. The Clinatec’s mission is to accelerate the development and clinical validation of innovative medical devices based on medical needs and using state-of-the-art technologies.Clinatec develops new treatments, diagnostics and research methods for applications in neurodegenerative disease and spinal-cord injury. A multidisciplinary team made up of clinical practitioners, biologists, mathematicians and engineers in microtechnology, nanotechnology and signal processing has been constituted at Clinatec to drive innovation in micro and nanosystems for healthcare. The platform’s unique approach—bringing together a broad range of know-how at a single location—fosters the emergence of novel solutions and speeds up proof-of-concept testing and transfer of new technologies to manufacturers. The ultimate goal is to offer new solutions to as many patients as possible. Clinatec possesses a broad range of equipment and leverages the know-how and advances of the Minatec campus. Clinatec’s current research includes near-infrared neuromodulation to stop degeneration in Parkinson disease, an exoskeleton and brain-computer interface to help tetraplegics walk again. For additional information about CEA-Leti Clinatec, please visit https://www.leti-cea.com/cea-tech/leti/english/Pages/Applied-Research/Facilities/CLINATEC-platform.aspx

About CEA-List

The research at CEA-List (https://list.cea.fr/en) is focused on smart digital systems spanning Responsible AI, Digital Instrumentation, Augmented Digital Engineering, Smart Robotics and Quantum Computing. In the context of NEMO-BMI, the team at the CEA-List will bring their expertise in data-processing and digital design to develop an ultra-low power circuit for decoding of brain signals. Previous research at the CEA-List has resulted in start-of-the-art low-power, wireless devices. The CEA-List straddles both the Paris/Saclay and Grenoble sites of the CEA

Clinatec team from CEA-Leti, will bring its expertise in implantable wireless ECoG recorder and Machine Learning decoding algorithms.
CEA-List will contribute to the project by fastening the decoding algorithms and by designing and manufacturing a silicon chip for neural signals decoding [4][5].

Illustration of the BCI technology developed by CEA

Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)

EPFL and .NeuroRestore

Located in Switzerland, EPFL (www.epfl.ch) is one of Europe’s most vibrant and cosmopolitan science and technology institutions. EPFL has both a Swiss and international vocation and focuses on three missions: teaching, research and innovation. EPFL collaborates with an important network of partners, including other universities and colleges, secondary schools and gymnasiums, industry and the economy, political circles and the general public, with the aim of having a real impact on society.Associated to EPFL, the .NeuroRestore center (www.neurorestore.swiss) is a research, innovation and treatment center that develops and applies bioengineering strategies involving neurosurgical interventions to restore neurological functions. .NeuroRestore integrates implantable neurotechnologies and innovative treatments resulting from rigorous preclinical studies that have been conducted during the last 15 years in rodent and non-human primate models. These developments have led to breakthroughs for the treatment of paraplegia, tetraplegia, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and traumatic brain injuries.

EPFL will bring its outstanding expertise on spinal cord stimulation to optimize muscle response and motion to restore motor functions [2].

Illustration of the EES technology developed by EPFL. Each muscle of the body can be accessed through the activation of a region of the spinal cord through electrical stimulation [6]

ONWARD medical

ONWARD

ONWARD is a medical technology company creating innovative therapies to restore movement, independence, and health in people with spinal cord injuries. ONWARD’s work builds on more than a decade of basic science and preclinical research conducted at the world’s leading neuroscience laboratories. ONWARD’s ARC Therapy, which can be delivered by implantable (ARCIM) or external (ARCEX) systems, is designed to deliver targeted, programmed stimulation of the spinal cord to restore movement and other functions in people with spinal cord injury, ultimately improving their quality of life. ONWARD has received three Breakthrough Device Designations from the FDA encompassing both ARCIM and ARCEX. The company’s first FDA pivotal trial, called Up-LIFT, completed enrollment in December 2021 with 65 subjects worldwide. ONWARD is headquartered at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. It maintains an office in Lausanne, Switzerland, and has a growing U.S. presence in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. For additional information about the company, please visit ONWD.com.

ONWARD will bring its’ advanced implantable spinal cord stimulators to restore mobility in individuals with chronic SCI.
ONWARD is a medical technology company creating innovative therapies to restore movement, independence, and health in people with spinal cord injuries. ONWARD’s work builds on more than a decade of basic science and preclinical research conducted at the world’s leading neuroscience laboratories. ONWARD’s ARC Therapy, which can be delivered by implantable (ARCIM) or external (ARCEX) systems, is designed to deliver targeted, programmed stimulation of the spinal cord to restore movement and other functions in people with spinal cord injury, ultimately improving their quality of life. ONWARD has received seven Breakthrough Device Designations from the FDA encompassing both ARCIM and ARCEX. The company’s first FDA pivotal trial, called Up-LIFT, completed enrollment in December 2021 with 65 subjects worldwide.

ONWARD is headquartered in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. It maintains a Science and Engineering Center in Lausanne, Switzerland, and has a growing US presence in Boston, Massachusetts. For additional information about the company, please visit ONWD.com

Illustration techno ONWARD: ARCIM Implantable neuromodulation device

Institute Of Information And Communication Technologies from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IICT-BAS)

IICT

The mission of the Institute of Information and Communication Technologies – BAS is to conduct fundamental and applied research in the field of computer science, information and communication technologies (ICT) and in the development of innovative interdisciplinary applications of these technologies. R&D topics of the institute are: Supercomputing and Big data; Artificial intelligence; Automatics, robotics, cyber-physical systems; Computer and communication networks and systems, cyber security.

IICT will bring its expertise in neuromorphic [7] and reservoir [8] computing to investigate new paradigms of decoding algorithm.

Illustration of IICT neuromorphic reservoir decoder.

References

[1] A. L. Benabid et al., “An exoskeleton controlled by an epidural wireless brain–machine interface in a tetraplegic patient: a proof-of-concept demonstration,” Lancet Neurol., Oct. 2019, doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(19)30321-7.

[2] F. B. Wagner et al., “Targeted neurotechnology restores walking in humans with spinal cord injury,” Nature, vol. 563, no. 7729, Art. no. 7729, Nov. 2018, doi: 10.1038/s41586-018-0649-2.

[3] Lorach, H., Charvet, G., Bloch, J., & Courtine, G. (2022). Brain-spine interfaces to reverse paralysis. National Science Review.

[4] Christensen, D. V., Dittmann, R., Linares-Barranco, B., Sebastian, A., Le Gallo, M., Redaelli, A., … & Pryds, N. (2022). 2022 roadmap on neuromorphic computing and engineering. Neuromorphic Computing and Engineering, 2(2), 022501.

[5] Miro-Panades, I., Tain, B., Christmann, J. F., Coriat, D., Lemaire, R., Jany, C., … & Clermidy, F. (2022). SamurAI: A Versatile IoT Node With Event-Driven Wake-Up and Embedded ML Acceleration. IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits.

[6] Rowald, A., Komi, S., Demesmaeker, R., Baaklini, E., Hernandez-Charpak, S. D., Paoles, E., … & Courtine, G. (2022). Activity-dependent spinal cord neuromodulation rapidly restores trunk and leg motor functions after complete paralysis. Nature medicine, 28(2), 260-271.

[7] N. K. Kasabov, “Brain-Inspired SNN for Deep Learning in Time-Space and Deep Knowledge Representation. NeuCube,” in Time-Space, Spiking Neural Networks and Brain-Inspired Artificial Intelligence, N. K. Kasabov, Ed. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, 2019, pp. 201–243. doi: 10.1007/978-3-662-57715-8_6

[8] L. Bozhkov, P. Koprinkova-Hristova, P. Georgieva, Reservoir computing for emotion valence discrimination from EEG signals, Neurocomputing, vol. 231, 2017, pp. 28-40, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neucom.2016.03.108.

Ethics Advisory Board

To assess the ethical questions raised by the project, we are honored to work with two independent renowned philosophers: Doctor Eric Fourneret and Professor Thierry Menissier.

Dr. Eric Fourneret
Associate Professor in Philosophy, ETHICS (EA7446),
« Ethics, Technologies and humanities » team at Catholics university of Lille (France)
Eric Fourneret is the author of
Le Cerveau implanté, 2022, Ed. Hermann
Pr. Thierry Menissier
Professor at institut de philosophie de Grenoble (France)
Thierry Menissier holds the chair « Ethics and Artificial Intelligence » at MIAI Multidisciplinary Institute in Artificial Intelligence, Grenoble (France)

Events

October 2022 – Kick-off meeting in Grenoble

December 2022 – EIC summit 2022 in Brussels

Results

October 2022 – 1st Place in the Brain-Computer Interface Award 2022 – https://www.bci-award.com/2022

December 2022 – publication of an article with proof of concept of an auto-adaptive ECoG based BMI decoder
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-25049-w

Rouanne, V., Costecalde, T., Benabid, A. L., & Aksenova, T. (2022). Unsupervised adaptation of an ECoG based brain–computer interface using neural correlates of task performance. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 21316.