DLN: Intelligent, Wireless Neural Interfaces, Prof Rikky Muller (UC Berkeley)

Abstract
Neural interface technologies stand to revolutionize disease care for patients with neurological conditions and in the future, the human experience. Today, there are two main classes of neural interface technologies: (1) brain-machine interfaces that record neural activity to control external devices and (2) neuromodulation technologies that provide stimulation to treat interactable neurological conditions. Unifying recording and stimulation technologies will enable intelligent, closed-loop devices that can monitor, learn, diagnose, and treat disease autonomously. In this talk I will present three classes of implantable neural interface technologies that enable bidirectional and closed-loop interactions with the brain and peripheral nervous system. These devices are based on integrated circuit and microsystems technologies that combine extreme miniaturization with advanced performance. I will start by presenting neuromodulation technology that combines high channel count neural recording with neurostimulation in a truly closed-loop manner. This technology will enable automated programming and adaptive, patient-specific therapies that will result in improved outcomes and reduced side effects. I will also present our work in the extreme miniaturization of recording and stimulating interfaces for the peripheral nervous system, and a new class of optical neural interfaces that will enable single-cell interactions with thousands neurons.

Biography
Rikky Muller, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at UC Berkeley where she holds the S. Shankar Sastry Professorship in Emerging Technologies. She received her BS and Meng degrees from MIT and her PhD from UC Berkeley. She is currently a Co-director of the Berkeley Wireless Research Center (BWRC), a Core Member of the Center for Neural Engineering and Prostheses (CNEP) and an Investigator at the Chan-Zuckerberg Biohub. Dr. Muller was previously an IC designer at Analog Devices, and was the co-founder of Cortera Neurotechnologies, Inc. a medical device company focused on closed-loop deep brain stimulation technology. Her research group focuses on emerging implantable and wearable medical devices and in developing low-power, wireless microelectronic and integrated systems for neurological applications. She was named one of MIT Tech Review’s 35 global innovators under 35 (TR35) and Boston MedTech’s 40 healthcare innovators under 40. She is the recipient of the National Academy of Engineering Gilbreth Lectureship, the NSF CAREER Award, the Keysight Early Career Professorship, the McKnight Technological Innovations in Neuroscience Award, and the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society New Frontier Award. She is a Bakar Fellow, a Hellman Fellow, and a Distinguished Lecturer for the Solid-State Circuits Society