Brain ACCeleration

At Project ACCelerate, we're on a mission to restore brain function and transform lives through transplantable brain tissue. Our groundbreaking work focuses on regenerating the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a vital part of the brain responsible for decision-making and emotional regulation, often affected in neurological conditions. Our work is spearheaded by Prof. Tiago Goncalves at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, a leading expert in the field of neuronal circuitry.

Our aim is to regenerate the ACC, a critical brain area responsible for decision-making and emotional regulation, and a region often compromised in neurological conditions. By engineering lab-grown ACC tissue, we can replace, rather than treat, damaged tissues. This research will begin with leveraging advanced single-cell sequencing and proteomics to study the ACC, and developing a specialized biogel to cultivate a healthy ACC tissue with the necessary components to integrate into a live brain.

We will first prioritize the methods, so that we can have optionality for future indications, and pick the one that best matches the proto-tissue design and capabilities. If successful, this work may not only halt cognitive decline, but also opens doors to treating a broad spectrum of neurological diseases affected by ACC degeneration, such as OCD, schizophrenia, depression and anxiety. The potential impact is profound—offering hope for millions suffering from neurological conditions. We envisage a future where these individuals can reclaim their cognitive abilities and quality of life.

Cognitive decline and psychiatric disorders present significant challenges to modern medicine, often leaving patients with limited and ineffective treatment options. At the core of this is the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a small but mighty part of the brain that holds the key to our cognitive and emotional worlds. The ACC is not just another brain region; it is the hub where decision-making, emotional regulation, and social behavior converge. It is what enables us to learn from our mistakes, to feel empathy and compassion, and to navigate the complex web of human interactions. In essence, the ACC is a cornerstone of our humanity. Damage or dysfunction in the ACC is linked to several conditions, including:

Depression and Anxiety: The ACC plays a key role in mood regulation. Hyperactivity in this region is associated with anxiety and depression, particularly in chronic pain patients.

Schizophrenia: Abnormalities in the ACC are common in schizophrenia, contributing to cognitive and emotional disturbances.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): The ACC is involved in error detection and conflict monitoring, functions that are often disrupted in OCD.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Impaired decision-making and attention regulation due to ACC dysfunction are prevalent in ADHD.

Chronic Pain: The ACC processes the emotional aspects of pain, and its hyperactivity can lead to chronic pain conditions with associated anxiety and depression.

Project ACCelerate aims to address these challenges by regenerating damaged ACC tissue, rather than treating already damaged tissue, often only managing symptoms. Our innovative approach focuses on replacing and regenerating brains with healthy ACC tissue. This could potentially curb cognitive decline and provide new treatments for psychiatric disorders, significantly improving quality of life and extending healthy lifespans.

We're seeking to recreate ACC tissue by learning about its cell type and extracellular makeup during development, then putting these components together into a functional ‘proto-tissue’.

Generating Intellectual Property (IP): Patents: Project ACCelerate employs several proprietary technologies, including the biogel composition and the process for generating ACC precursor cells. These inventions will be protected through patents covering the ACC tissue engineering process, biogel composition, and integration techniques, ensuring comprehensive protection and a robust intellectual property foundation. Licensing: Exploring licensing opportunities for both the drug testing platform and therapeutic applications will generate additional revenue streams and expand market reach.

Clinical Application: Therapy Commercialization: Identify the most promising target indications using preclinical disease models, after confirming that the proto-tissue can successfully grow and integrate with the brains of established neurological disease models. Clinical Trials: Conduct preclinical studies to validate the proto-tissue and identify the most appropriate clinical indications for ACC tissue replacement therapy, potentially including cognitive decline, brain regeneration, and psychiatric disorders.

Project Overview

The total project plan is $150,150 USD and our team needs your help! As some of the milestones will be performed in parallel, the total duration of the project spans 12 months.

Project Milestones