{"674366":{"#nid":"674366","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Neurotech Moonshot: Georgia Tech Researcher Shares Impact of BRAIN Initiative in Congressional Briefing ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFor the past 10 years, the National Institutes of Health have led an unprecedented effort to revolutionize our understanding of the human brain. The aptly named \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/braininitiative.nih.gov\/about\/overview\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EBRAIN (Brain Research Through Advancing Neurotechnologies) Initiative\u003C\/a\u003E has led to remarkable technological advancements, insights into the structure and function of the brain, and budding therapies.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERecently, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/School of Electrical and Computer Engineering\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ESchool of Electrical and Computer Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E (ECE) Professor \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/neuro.gatech.edu\/user\/1109\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EChris Rozell\u003C\/a\u003E traveled to Washington, D.C. to share the impact of his BRAIN Initiative research with U.S. Congressional offices \u2014 and offer insights on how critical this program is to society. The briefing took on a particular urgency because BRAIN Initiative funding was cut over 40% this year, and future funding appears to be in jeopardy in the current federal budget climate.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe millions of patients suffering with intractable neurologic disorders and mental illness deserve a moonshot to develop new solutions for their conditions,\u201d said Rozell, who also holds the Julian T. Hightower Chair in ECE and serves on the executive committee for Georgia Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/neuro.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ENeuro Next Initiative\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cYou can\u0027t get to the moon with a paper plane, and you can\u2019t get there without a map. The BRAIN Initiative is a vital program because it\u0027s one of the few places that brings together interdisciplinary teams that include the scientists who have been building maps of brain circuits and the engineers who have been building rockets to understand and intervene with those circuits.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI\u0027m proud to have had the chance to represent not only our own research, but the incredible community here at Georgia Tech and around the country working to understand many different aspects of the brain, developing new neurotechnologies, and advancing therapies for neurologic disorders.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch3\u003EInterdisciplinary impacts\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h3\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe main message we presented to Congress is that the interdisciplinary combination of rigorous science and technical innovation can have enormous societal impact over the next few decades,\u201d said Rozell.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA stark example of that impact was published in \u003Cem\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41586-023-06541-3\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ENature\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E this past fall. In this research, Rozell and his collaborators at the\u202f\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/icahn.mssm.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai\u003C\/a\u003E and\u202f\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/med.emory.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EEmory University School of Medicine\u003C\/a\u003E identified the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/coe.gatech.edu\/news\/2023\/09\/researchers-identify-crucial-biomarker-tracks-recovery-treatment-resistant-depression\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Efirst known biomarker\u003C\/a\u003E of disease recovery with deep brain stimulation in treatment-resistant depression.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe fact that an engineer can advance clinical therapies is a testament to the new era we\u0027re in,\u201d says Rozell, \u201cwhere disciplinary boundaries are fading, and technological innovation accelerates our scientific and translational breakthroughs.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis research served as a focal point of the congressional briefing, where Rozell presented with BRAIN Initiative Director \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ninds.nih.gov\/about-ninds\/who-we-are\/staff-directory\/john-ngai\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EJohn J. Ngai\u003C\/a\u003E, clinical collaborators, and a family whose lives have been transformed by this work. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cEvents like last week are dream come true,\u201d shared Jon Nelson, who was treated with deep brain stimulation as part of the study and presented with Rozell in D.C. After living through 10 years of debilitating, treatment-resistant depression, Nelson says \u201cremission of depression still doesn\u0027t feel real. It\u0027s been a year and a half, and I still am in awe every single day.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe fact that I have come out of this study and found that the disease is purely an electrical deficiency in my brain has fueled me to completely pulverize the stigma of mental illness,\u201d Nelson explained. \u201cWhen you have an opportunity to go speak to Congress \u2014 that\u2019s about as great of a platform as you can get for that. Being able to put a face to what the BRAIN Initiative funding can do for people was just amazing.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen meeting with local representatives, Rozell also relayed his work as co-executive leader of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/neuro.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ENeuro Next Initiative\u003C\/a\u003E, a budding Interdisciplinary Research Institute at Georgia Tech.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI was thrilled to highlight that Georgia Tech is leading the charge with the Neuro Next Initiative, which will evolve into a full Interdisciplinary Research Institute in 2025,\u201d said Rozell. \u201cGeorgia Tech has the ingredients\u0026nbsp;to become a leading center for modern technology-driven interdisciplinary brain research and workforce development.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis visit was a reminder to me that research funding is not guaranteed and it\u2019s important to keep communicating the critical value that research plays in advancing our understanding, training our workforce, fueling our economy, and ultimately making a better tomorrow for society.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech Professor Chris Rozell recently traveled to Washington, D.C. to present his groundbreaking research on treatment-resistant depression to Congress. There, Rozell shared insights on the impact of 10 years of the NIH BRAIN Initiative \u2014 and share with local representatives how Georgia Tech is playing a key role in leading the charge.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Chris Rozell traveled to Washington, D.C. to share the impacts of the past decade of brain research funded by the NIH BRAIN Initiative with Congress \u2014 and share with local representatives how Georgia Tech is playing a key role in leading the charge."}],"uid":"35575","created_gmt":"2024-04-24 19:01:17","changed_gmt":"2024-04-26 15:55:05","author":"adavidson38","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-04-24T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2024-04-24T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"673835":{"id":"673835","type":"image","title":"Rozell was joined by BRAIN Initiative Director John J. Ngai, clinical collaborators, and a family whose lives have been transformed by this work. ","body":"\u003Cp\u003ERozell was joined by BRAIN Initiative Director John J. Ngai, clinical collaborators, and a family whose lives have been transformed by this work.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1713985800","gmt_created":"2024-04-24 19:10:00","changed":"1713985800","gmt_changed":"2024-04-24 19:10:00","alt":"Rozell was joined by BRAIN Initiative Director John J. Ngai, clinical collaborators, and a family whose lives have been transformed by this work. ","file":{"fid":"257282","name":"Chris-Rozell-BRAIN-Initiative-Briefing-Group-Photo.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/04\/24\/Chris-Rozell-BRAIN-Initiative-Briefing-Group-Photo.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/04\/24\/Chris-Rozell-BRAIN-Initiative-Briefing-Group-Photo.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3133594,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/04\/24\/Chris-Rozell-BRAIN-Initiative-Briefing-Group-Photo.jpg?itok=oOiNIDaf"}},"673836":{"id":"673836","type":"image","title":"Rozell presented to members of U.S. Congress as well as local representatives during his visit.","body":"\u003Cp\u003ERozell presented to members of U.S. Congress as well as local representatives during his visit.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1713985859","gmt_created":"2024-04-24 19:10:59","changed":"1713985859","gmt_changed":"2024-04-24 19:10:59","alt":"Rozell presented to members of U.S. Congress as well as local representatives during his visit.","file":{"fid":"257283","name":"Chris-Rozell-BRAIN-Initiative-Briefing-Room.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/04\/24\/Chris-Rozell-BRAIN-Initiative-Briefing-Room.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/04\/24\/Chris-Rozell-BRAIN-Initiative-Briefing-Room.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":407458,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/04\/24\/Chris-Rozell-BRAIN-Initiative-Briefing-Room.jpeg?itok=I_wOe-Z6"}},"673837":{"id":"673837","type":"image","title":"Georgia Tech Engineering Professor Chris Rozell shared his research and the impacts of the past decade of brain research funded by the NIH BRAIN Initiative with Congress.","body":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech Engineering Professor Chris Rozell shared his research and the impacts of the past decade of brain research funded by the NIH BRAIN Initiative with Congress.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1713985921","gmt_created":"2024-04-24 19:12:01","changed":"1713985921","gmt_changed":"2024-04-24 19:12:01","alt":"Georgia Tech Engineering Professor Chris Rozell shared his research and the impacts of the past decade of brain research funded by the NIH BRAIN Initiative with Congress.","file":{"fid":"257284","name":"Chris-Rozell-BRAIN-Initiative-Congressional-Briefing.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/04\/24\/Chris-Rozell-BRAIN-Initiative-Congressional-Briefing_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/04\/24\/Chris-Rozell-BRAIN-Initiative-Congressional-Briefing_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":414430,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/04\/24\/Chris-Rozell-BRAIN-Initiative-Congressional-Briefing_0.jpg?itok=QAcnntWA"}}},"media_ids":["673835","673836","673837"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/coe.gatech.edu\/news\/2023\/09\/researchers-identify-crucial-biomarker-tracks-recovery-treatment-resistant-depression","title":"Researchers Identify Crucial Biomarker That Tracks Recovery from Treatment-Resistant Depression"},{"url":"https:\/\/neuro.gatech.edu","title":"Learn more about the Neuro Next Initiative"},{"url":"https:\/\/coe.gatech.edu\/news\/2021\/09\/ai-and-neuroscience-become-dance-partners-georgia-tech-arts-event","title":"AI and Neuroscience Become Dance Partners for Georgia Tech Arts Event"}],"groups":[{"id":"66220","name":"Neuro"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"443951","name":"School of Psychology"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"155","name":"Congressional Testimony"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"172970","name":"go-neuro"},{"id":"111361","name":"BRAIN initiative"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"193266","name":"cos-research"},{"id":"192253","name":"cos-neuro"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39431","name":"Data Engineering and Science"},{"id":"193656","name":"Neuro Next Initiative"},{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71891","name":"Health and Medicine"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:audra.davidson@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAudra Davidson\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nResearch Communications Program Manager\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nNeuro Next Initiative\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["audra.davidson@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}