Based on brain-computer interface research from Aarhus University, a new Danish research project will complete the development of a microchip that is capable of recognizing patterns in signals from the brain with high precision and reporting when patients are experiencing epileptic seizures. Innovation Fund Denmark has invested 17.5 million DKK in the project.

60 million people suffer from epilepsy globally, and the disease accounts for a total healthcare cost of almost DKK 800 billion. Now a new Danish microchip will create faster, more accurate and less labor-intensive diagnosis of epilepsy.

The project, called EPIFY, has been underway for some time, where different solutions have been tested. A prototype is now ready to be optimized and completed for testing in clinical studies. A broad group of experts in electronics, computer science and neurophysiology, together with the company Cenexum Technologies, is behind the project:

EPIFY leverages the latest research in data processing for the detection of epileptic seizures. The project integrates advanced chip technology with a neural network for accurate detection of epileptic seizures. We hope that our finished product will give patients better access to fast and accurate diagnosis and also save the healthcare system many hours of work from highly specialized employees, which currently constitute a bottleneck in the system, says Dennis B Henriksen, CEO of Cenexum Technologies ApS

Electroencephalography (EEG), which measures signals from the brain, is used as a standard in the diagnosis of epilepsy worldwide. Today, there are no systems available that can replace human analysis of EEG data with sufficient precision. EPIFY is initially aimed at patients undergoing so-called long-term monitoring, where the volume of data subsequently requires hours of work with visual analysis by specialists.

The finished product is expected to be implemented in hospitals and aims to create faster and more accurate diagnosis by automating the detection and classification of epilepsy. This will benefit both patients by gaining easier access to this form of advanced diagnostics and the healthcare system by reducing workload and costs.

EPIFY is a collaboration between the Danish company Cenexum Technologies ApS, Aarhus University, Aarhus University Hospital, Epilepsy Hospital Filadelfia and the consulting company Qmed Consulting.

Facts

• Innovation Fund Denmark's investment: DKK 17.5 million.
• Total budget: DKK 23.4 million.
• Duration: 3 years
• Official title: EPIFY - A real-time brain-inspired system-on-chip for early detection of seizure in epilepsy.