Device by Lassonde prof. to stop seizures before they happen
It’s estimated that one in every 100 Canadians suffers from epilepsy, and, of those, roughly one in four has seizures that can’t be controlled with anti-epileptic drugs.
Professor Hossein Kassiri is combining his technical expertise and entrepreneurship skills to develop a revolutionary device for the early detection of seizures.
The coin-sized implantable device can detect unusual activity within the brain and signals that a seizure is about to start.
It then can cause the brain to change its electrical pattern, which helps to manage the severity of the seizure. The key part of this device is a piece that acts as a mini-EEG and constantly monitors brain activity. Previously, this level of sophistication could only be performed by computers.
This exciting technology represents a movement for those with epilepsy away from hospital monitoring and towards more personalized methods of seizure management.
Professor Kassiri founded a company along with his partner Nima Soltani, Braincom Inc. to move the device to market.
He is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Lassonde School of Engineering.