SynMech - A synaptic mechanogenetic technology to repair brain connectivity

Coordinator: Lorenzo Cingolani, University of Trieste

Website : www.synmech.eu

2023-2027

Our team is dedicated to developing an innovative technology called synaptic magnetogenetics that will allow for the precise control of neural circuit connectivity in the brain. We believe that this technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we treat high-prevalence treatment-resistant brain disorders.

Magnetogenetics is an emerging field of health science that merges the strengths of optogenetics and magneto-mechanical stimulations. Like optogenetics, magnetogenetics employs actuators to target specific neural circuits, while exploiting magnetic fields, rather than light, to achieve non-invasive brain stimulation.

Here, we implement an innovative solution for magnetogenetics based on biocompatible magnetic nanoparticles and bioengineered synaptic mechanosensors that work together to regulate brain connectivity in response to focused magnetic fields, delivered via high-permeability transcranial magnetic stimulators. We assess the capacity of the synaptic mechanogenetic toolkit to normalize network activity in models of stroke and epilepsy.

Collaborators: University of Verona, Forschungszentrum Julich (Germany), Brain Science tools (The Netherlands), CNR (Milan), Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (Germany) and Universitair Medisch Centrum Utrecht (The Netherlands).

This project is funded by the European Research Council under the program Horizon-EIC-2022-Pathfinderopen-01-01 (grant ID: 101099579).