The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and Nexus NeuroTech Ventures have awarded $100,000 in development funding to three innovative research projects aimed at transforming the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders. Selected from a competitive pool of 13 applicants, the winning teams — including a project led by Assistant Professor of Psychology Ali Mohebi — are pioneering technologies with the potential to improve brain health outcomes in Wisconsin and beyond.
The Neurotechnology Challenge Grant invited proposals for novel approaches to diagnosing and treating brain disorders, with a focus on translational potential and real-world impact. The three selected projects span disciplines and departments, reflecting the breadth of neurotechnology innovation at UW-Madison.
“We are thrilled to partner with WARF in supporting bold, translational neurotechnology coming out of UW-Madison,” says John Propst, Head of Incubator Program at Nexus NeuroTech Ventures. “Each of these projects embodies the kind of science-driven innovation our firm seeks to back—technologies that are not only novel, but also grounded in strong scientific fundamentals with clear pathways to impact patients living with brain disorders.”
The selected projects are led by the following PIs:
- Larissa Albantakis (Psychiatry) — Personalized Thalamic Stimulation with Temporal Interference
- Ali Mohebi (Psychology) — Dopamine Clamp
- Vatsan Raman (Biochemistry) — Multi-Metabolite Parkinson’s Disease Diagnostic