Projects

Here you will find details of some of the funded projects we are involved with.

[Fractal AI] Leveraging universal fractal geometry to develop new AI for neuroimaging

This £750K EPSRC funded award supports a range of team members to develop an AI software prototype that leverages the fractal geometry of the brain to detect and classify abnormal brain structure in neurological diseases. Press release: https://www.ukri.org/news/13-million-for-22-ai-for-health-research-projects/

[SurgeryNet] Epilepsy surgery induced brain network changes: relation to patient outcomes

This £1.7m UKRI funded Future Leaders Fellowship supports Peter Taylor to use advanced computational methods to study the brains of patients with epilepsy. He will try to pinpoint the precise brain areas that are responsible for seizures and plans to use the information to help improve epilepsy surgery for patients. He hopes this research will lead to better treatments for some of the 650,000 patients with epilepsy in the UK. Press release: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/articles/latest/2020/10/futurefellows/

[ACORN] Assessing and controlling seizure-modulating fluctuations

This £1.1m UKRI funded Future Leaders Fellowship supports Yujiang Wang to investigate epileptic seizures and develop computer tools that forecast severe seizures - very similar to how we forecast severe weather conditions. We will use long-term brain recordings, combined with wearable and environmental sensors, to capture and analyse fluctuations in epileptic seizures. Our aim is to gain a better understanding of how seizure activity and severity varies case by case and forecast the severity of upcoming seizures for individual patients, as well as developing future treatments that may reduce their severity. Ultimately, we hope to improve the quality of life for people living with epilepsy and their carers. Press release: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/articles/latest/2021/09/futureleaders/

[NEND] National Epilepsy & Neurology Database

We aim for the database to be a source that each contributing centre can use as a repository for information on their patients.

The database will contain a summary of information found in their hospital notes, including basic patient demographics and results of laboratory, imaging and neurophysiological investigations, through to treatments and outcomes. Data will be collected by members of the neurology team at respective sites during routine clinic visits and following investigations, and passed onto the data controller at each site for input into the database. Anonymised data access for research is possible upon application.

See Information Sheet here. Link to NHS HRA approval

EpiChange: Quantifying longitudinal changes after epilepsy surgery

This £128k Wellcome Trust funded project funded investigations of noninvasive neurophysiological markers of epilepsy. This project ran from 2018-2021. More details are available here: https://app.dimensions.ai/details/grant/grant.7160009

Newcastle University Epilepsy Research UK Doctoral Training Centre

This £250k investment from ERUK (with matched funding from Newcastle University) funds 6 PhD studentships over four to five years. The DTC will pull together researchers from different disciplines in cutting-edge projects with a common goal of ‘a life free from epilepsy’ and address the vital need to retain the brightest and best within epilepsy research. More details here: https://epilepsyresearch.org.uk/research_portfolio/newcastle-university-doctoral-training-centre/

Identifying Optimal Neurostimulation for Epilepsy using Computational Approaches (IONECA)

This £115k Wellcome Trust funded project funded investigations of the consistency of brain stimulation in epilepsy. This project ran from 2018-2021. More details are available here: https://app.dimensions.ai/details/grant/grant.7159905

Epilepsy brain MRI quantification tool [BrainQuant]

This project seeks to translate our research findings into clinically usable software and evaluate its use to improve surgical outcomes for individuals with epilepsy. The £150k project runs from 2026-2028, and is funded as part of The Rosetrees Trust Translational Fellow scheme.

Diversity in Chronobiology: Discovering dynamics and interactions in chronobiology using multimodal, multiscale, and multinational data

This project will elucidate dynamics and interactions of human biological rhythms – vital for mental and physical health – through multimodal, multiscale, and multinational data. Data will be acquired from a diverse range of people from locations worldwide including Singapore, Botswana, and Brazil using wearable devices. This project is generously funded by a £312k Wellcome Trust Accelerator Award. 

EpiVis – Visualising Hidden Brain Abnormalities to Transform Epilepsy Care

Funded by the Innovate UK ICURe Explore programme, this £35k project supports exploration for the use of our brain MRI abnormality detection software in the clinic by assessing end-user needs.