The fund is providing $250,000 for the eBrain centre, to be led by Prof. Faranak Farzan, SFU's endowed Chair in Technology Innovations for Youth Addiction Recovery and Mental Health.
Farzan is a leading expert in the development of neuromodulation technology for diagnosing and treating neuropsychiatric disorders. Neuromodulation involves altering nerve activity through the targeted delivery of a stimulus to specific neurological sites in the body. The latest funding will enable her to create a neuromodulation core program at the eBrain Centre.
The proposed research program will develop new technology-based diagnostic and treatment solutions for youth mental health and addiction, including ways to safely, reliably and inexpensively assess brain health. It will also lead to innovation strategies that extract and control markers of brain health and translate them into clinical trial.
“A unique function of the eBrain Centre is that it will integrate research and discovery between major stakeholders, including university, hospital, health policy makers, industry, and community,” says Farzan.
“This will serve to centralize and oversee the process of discovery, innovation, and translation of biomedical research outcomes to benefit youth who are impacted by mental health and addiction issues.”