Eric C. Leuthardt, M.D., assistant professor of neurosurgery, was working with engineers such as Daniel Moran, Ph.D., associate professor of biomedical engineering, to achieve a goal that was formerly the stuff of science fiction: developing implantable technology that lets the human brain “talk” to computers.
A few years ago, they validated their new approach to engineering these interfaces by showing that a patient with a temporary brain implant could use it to control a video game without ever touching the game’s controls. Leuthardt, also assistant professor of neurobiology and anatomy and of biomedical engineering, realized he was enjoying working with experts from other fields.
“When you bring people from different backgrounds to think about a common problem, what that invariably does is force people to think outside of the box,” Leuthardt said. “It’s very empowering and in its own way fun and engaging because what was once a source of frustration becomes an opportunity for brainstorming and problem-solving.”
To share that feeling of empowerment, Leuthardt established the Center for Innovation in Neuroscience and Technology (CINT) with support from the Department of Neurosurgery and the School of Engineering & Applied Science.
“CINT is about bringing people together from many different backgrounds, such as medicine, engineering, the sciences, business and law, to maximize our ability to solve formerly unsolvable medical problems,” he said.
CINT’s programs include quarterly invention sessions that bring faculty together from several medical, engineering and scientific departments to consider challenges and problems in four areas: tumor/vascular, pediatric, spine/orthopedics and functional neurosurgery. The sessions typically involve several physicians and engineering or science faculty and often include one or two representatives from the medical device industry.
CINT also runs a fellowship program that teams faculty from neurosurgery and engineering with students from both areas for three months to work on a problem in neurosurgery. The program had seven fellows and two faculty in its first year; eight fellows and four faculty are participating this year.
“In three months, that fellowship goes from pie-in-the-sky idea to drafted design to actual prototype that you can hold in your hand, and that’s an incredibly efficient process,” Leuthardt said.
The fellowship is sponsored in part by Stryker Corp., a medical instruments manufacturer based in Kalamazoo, Mich. At the end of the fellowship, Stryker evaluates the new prototype for feasibility from the perspectives of industrial production and its likelihood for success in the medical instruments market.
“The students inject an enthusiasm and a happiness and a go-get-’em attitude that makes these projects a lot of fun,” Leuthardt said. “Everybody gets a lot out of it.”
At a recent open house, Leuthardt and other CINT faculty members showcased technology developed from the first two years of the fellowship program. These included a new tool that makes it safer for surgeons to move part of the brain out of the way during surgery, a coating for surgical instruments that helps foster bone growth, and a new device for detecting dangerous build-up of pressure in the brains of pediatric patients with hydrocephalus.
“It was another way to give people from diverse backgrounds opportunities to interact,” Leuthardt said. “The more we can get these kinds of people interacting, the better it is for science and technology.”