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2021/09/15 | Media | Artificial Intelligence

Opening of NeuroTec research facility

The NeuroTec research facility was opened by Insel Gruppe, together with the University of Bern and sitem-insel, on the Insel Campus in Bern on Tuesday, 14 September 2021. NeuroTec pools the clinical knowledge of Inselspital, University Hospital Bern, and the expertise in medical technology of the University of Bern, while further expanding Bern’s leading position in neurology pioneered by Prof. Dr. Claudio Bassetti and his team.

NeuroTec Loft: First "research apartment" for identifying, monitoring and improving therapy for neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease or dementia (Photo: Adrian Moser © University of Bern)

After almost two years of development, the NeuroTec research facility opened on September 14, 2021. The long-awaited launch was a success. Prominent speakers and participants from science, industry and politics contributed to a remarkable opening ceremony for the invited guests, which included a science session and a roundtable discussion. As part of its translational research activities, NeuroTec explores the use of modern medical technology to improve the treatment of neurological diseases with the aim of increasingly shifting diagnosis and therapy from the hospital to the home. 

Prominent figures from research, politics, and industry

The guests were welcomed by Pierre Alain Schnegg, member of the governing council and Director of, Health, Social Affairs and Integration Department of the canton of Bern, and by Prof. Dr. Bernhard Pulver, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Insel Gruppe. Participating in a roundtable discussion were Prof. Dr. Claudio Bassetti, Chairman and Chief Physician of the Department of Neurology and Dean of the Medical Faculty of the University of Bern; Councilor Christoph Ammann, Head of the Economic, Energy and Environment Department of the canton of Bern; and Dr. Uwe Jocham, General Manager of Insel Gruppe, along with other key representatives from science and education.  The importance of research facilities such as NeuroTec for the Bern medical center was one of the many topics of discussion.

With the opening the Insel Gruppe, who secures the investment and medical support for NeuroTec once again manifested its committement to translational research in the sitem-insel network. Of particular importance are the close ties to the University of Bern, i.e. with the ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research, which primarily provides the technical expertise, and with the Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (CAIM), which uses AI to evaluate the extensive amounts of collected data. sitem-insel, the Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine is a vital partner to facilitate national and international networking in the field. 

Numerous innovative projects underway: NeuroTec Loft

Many stakeholders rely on a research platform in the field of neurology of the kind of NeuroTec. This is demonstrated by the excellent utilization of the facilities even in the earliest start-up phase and the numerous projects that have already been initiated. One that must be mentioned here as an example is the NeuroTec Loft.

At first glance, it appears to be a normal two-room apartment discreetly furnished with everything needed in everyday life. However, the NeuroTec Loft is also equipped with a number of highly sensitive measuring devices such as video cameras, radar systems, lidar sensors, seismographs, flow meters, etc. In the loft, it is possible to monitor patients’ activities in everyday life and to detect any neurodegenerative diseases at an early stage or to indicate a sudden deterioration in health. Furthermore, devices for long-term measurements can be developed and tested here. By recording, for example, a Parkinson’s patient or an epilepsy patient in the course of the day they provide important building blocks for better research into these diseases and their treatment options.