Rutgers and RWJBarnabas Health Receive $2.8 Million to Develop New Devices to Treat Epilepsy

BYLINE: Claire Mulhern

Newswise — NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., Aug. 27, 2025 — Researchers from Rutgers Health and other institutions were awarded a grant for $2.8 million over the course of three years from the National Institutes of Health to improve implantable devices for epileptic patients.

The grant will fund a program to develop the next generation of responsive neurostimulation devices that can be implanted in the brains of people affected with severe epileptic seizures to reduce or eliminate their occurrence.

The researchers said an existing device is effective in reducing seizure frequency among patients, however, it eliminates seizures in 15% to 20% percent of them.

“We are excited to initiate a promising project focused on developing a new treatment option for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy,” said Hai Sun, vice chair of clinical affairs and associate professor of neurosurgery in the Department of Neurosurgery at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and chief of Neurosurgery at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, an RWJBarnabas health facility. “Our goal is to design and implement a new generation of devices that are equipped with a better seizure prediction algorithm and can stimulate larger areas of the brain where seizures initiate. We plan to bring this device to market, in the next five years.”

In addition to Rutgers’ researchers, the study team includes interdisciplinary scientists in the field of AI and neuroscience from Stevens Institute of Technology and physician-scientists from Emory School of Medicine. The Stevens team will focus on developing computer algorithms and models for the project.

“I’m excited about this grant because it supports the development of a new seizure control device, which could offer a transformative treatment for patients with drug-resistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy,” said Feng Liu, an assistant professor at Stevens’ Charles V. Schaefer Jr. School of Engineering and Science. “We look forward to working with the great team led by Dr. Hai Sun, comprised of neurosurgeons, epileptologists, artificial intelligence researchers and industry partners, to move this field forward.”

Emory epileptologist Ezequiel Gleichgerrcht said this study is laying the groundwork for innovative and minimally invasive neuromodulatory technologies aimed at improving seizure control and quality of life.

“Our goal is to stop seizures at their earliest stages, ideally before they have a chance to spread,” said Gleichgerrcht, assistant professor of neurology at Emory University School of Medicine. “By applying advanced brain network modeling to real-world patient data, we aim to translate this breakthrough technology from animal models into a device that could transform care for people living with drug-resistant epilepsy.” He adds, “We’re excited to partner with Dr. Sun’s team to help move this innovation from the bench to the bedside.”