Abstract & Bio

Abstract: In this talk, Dr. Kip Ludwig will discuss his work within the Wisconsin Institute of Translational Neuroengineering (WITNe) to understand how anatomically inspired electrode design and stimulation parameters can be used to mitigate off-target activation while optimizing on-target activation for invasive and non-invasive neuromodulation therapies. Topics that will be covered include spatial selectivity for invasive and non-invasive cranial nerve stimulation, with the end goal of a maximizing therapeutic engagement while still being comfortable for use during sleep to facilitate brain clearance. He will describe translational efforts spanning rodents, multiple large animal models as well as recent human data employing these concepts.

Bio: Dr. Ludwig is the Co-Director of the Wisconsin Institute for Translational Neuroengineering (WITNe) and leads the Ludwig Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin within the WITNe structure. The primary focus of his lab is developing next-generation neuromodulation therapies that use minimally invasive strategies to hack the nervous system to treat circuit dysfunction and deliver biomolecules to target areas with unprecedented precision. Prior to Wisconsin Dr. Ludwig served as the Program Director for Neural Engineering at the National Institutes of Health. He co-led the Translational Devices Program at NINDS, led the White House NIH BRAIN Initiative programs to catalyze implantable academic and clinical devices to stimulate and/or record from the central nervous system, and led a trans-NIH planning team in developing the ~250 million dollar S.P.A.R.C. Program to stimulate advances in neuromodulation therapies for organ systems. He also led the trans-NIH Advanced Neural Prosthetics Program. Dr. Ludwig also worked in Industry as a research scientist, where his team conceived, developed and demonstrated the chronic efficacy of a next-generation neural stimulation electrode for reducing blood pressure in both pre-clinical studies and clinical trials. Through his industry work he oversaw Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and non-GLP studies enabling clinical trials in Europe and the United States, as well as participated in the protocol development and execution of those trials, leading to approval for sale in twenty countries including the United States. Dr. Ludwig connects his academic research to the neuromodulation industry and clinical translation through multiple consulting and advisory roles. He serves as the Chair of the NeuroOne Scientific Advisory Board on Artificial Intelligence, and is a current or past member of the Scientific Advisory Board for Abbott, Battelle, Blackfynn, Cala Health, Livanova, the National Center for Adaptive Neurotechnologies and Presidio Medical. He is a co-founder of Neuronoff, Inc. and NeuraWorx.