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Science for Sapiens A year in research (2024)

afely accessing the surface of the brain.
This is the objective of the new techni-
que developed by researchers from the
University Miguel Hernández of Elche
(UMH) in collaboration with the IMED
Hospital of Elche and the Institute for
Health and Biomedical Research of Ali-
S cante (ISABIAL). This technique, pio-
neering in the medical world, uses Medtronic’s “Stealth
Autoguide” robot and an advanced neuronavigation sys-
tem that allows neurosurgical personnel to perform the
implant in a minimally invasive manner. Although hope-
ful results have already been obtained, this is ongoing
research that is not ready to be applied to the general
public yet.
A team of researchers, led by the UMH, has successfully
performed the first insertion of brain microelectrodes in a
blind person using this new procedure at the IMED Elche
Hospital and hopes to use this new technique in the next
blind volunteers who collaborate in their research. The
work has been published in the Journal of Neurosurgery.

The new technique is part of a project led by the group for
Biomedical Neuroengineering of the Institute for Bioengi-
neering of the UMH. The project consists of developing Navigation station used in surgery. Researchers explain that the robot allows ad-
a new brain implant that, through microelectrodes, can justing the position and orientation of microelectrodes in real-time and precisely,
reducing damage to brain structures. They use a system similar to GPS based on
help blind people or people with low residual vision to images previously obtained through magnetic resonance imaging and computed
improve their mobility and even, in a more ambitious way, tomography to achieve this.
to perceive the environment around them and orient
themselves in it. “This technology means being able to
safely access the surface of the brain”, explains Eduardo
Fernández, project director and member of the Centre for
Biomedical Research in Network in Bioengineering, Bio-
materials and Nanomedicine. “To this end, we have been
working for several years on improving surgical techni-
ques for implanting brain microelectrode arrays in close
collaboration with the Neurosurgery Service of the Ge-
neral University Hospital of Alicante and the IMED Elche “This technology
Hospital.” In addition, he adds that the new technology means being able to
they have developed has also had the collaboration of
Medtronic, a leading company in the field of medical te- safely access the surface
chnologies, and from Germán Sempere and the company of the brain”, explains
3DNeurotrainer of Ibi, which created an exact replica of
the head of the volunteer patient to plan the surgery in Eduardo Fernández
advance.

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