This week I am talking to Allen Waziri, MD, Neurosurgeon and Translational Neuroscientist, CEO & Founder – iCE Neurosystems offering “Better Data to Save the Brain”. They have created some transformative EEG technology that derives from a different way of thinking about both data acquisition and what that means for the processing of that data.
We discuss the current challenges with understanding the brain that relates to the poor availability of data and the relatively low quality of that data. We track electrical activity in the heart but the electrophysiology of the heart muscle – the electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) is far simpler and better understood that the brain Electroencephalogram (EEG) and the challenge of the biological interface using metallic electrodes attached to the scalp
We know that the brain health and activity is changing constantly yet as Allen points out less than 1% of patients are receiving continuous monitoring of their brain activity using an EEG thanks to the complexity of placing the sensors and the need for trained staff and the output that requires specialized knowledge and insights to interpret
His path to this was inspired from an early age with two physician parents and time spent in the lab with his father from a a very early age all the way through his experiences as a neurosurgery resident where he saw first hand the difficulty of monitoring brain function and health and the limited ability to monitor it without using other tests and inference. As he points out in many cases the most useful insights into current brian health was from the bedside nurse and their direct observation of the patient
Your Incremental Learning Points
- It takes 15 Years to be an overnight success
- Technology has been getting better- some of this is about timing
- We Always Need better quality (signal/noise) data
- As the Data Expanse Expands we Need Better ways to Process this Data
- It is Easier to Start a Company Now
Listen in to hear how iCE Neurosystems is developing a novel approach to capture high quality brain data using a sub-cutaneous acquisition technology that can be placed by anyone that is connected to a full-featured ecosystem that integrates multiple sources of clinal data on the patient to provide insights and is connected to their concept of a “Tele-Curbside” offering that expands the missing coverage for the specialized interpretation and understanding in this area.
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