Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia

€2.5 million for Unimore for a project that is set to revolutionise epilepsy care

The European Innovation Council (EIC) has awarded a prestigious €2.5 million grant to CLUSTREL – Seizure Cluster Relief through Smart Therapeutic Management. The project, coordinated by Professor Michele Giugliano, Bioengineer, involves the participation and close collaboration of leading scientific and clinical experts within the University, including Professor Giulia Curia, Physiologist and specialist in preclinical epilepsy models, and Professor Stefano Meletti, Head of Neurology at Baggiovara Hospital and an expert in epilepsy, together with medical-device development specialist Matteo Corradini.

CLUSTREL addresses a medical need that unfortunately still remains unmet for around 15 million patients worldwide affected by drug-resistant epilepsy. The innovation lies in a non-invasive medical device, similar to an orthodontic appliance, which exploits the properties of graphene to retain and release emergency medication in an ultra-rapid manner, autonomously controlled through an app on the user’s phone.

The drug is bound to graphene through weak chemical bonds. A tiny electrical signal, sent by an electronic circuit, breaks these bonds and releases the medication, which is rapidly absorbed through the oral mucosa within a maximum of two minutes.

The system is designed to be intelligent and autonomous: thanks to its interface with wearable EEG sensors—already under testing by Professor Meletti’s team in Baggiovara—the release can even be triggered automatically as soon as the abnormal electrical activity typical of a seizure is detected. This ensures immediate assistance even in the absence of an accompanying person or caregiver with appropriate training.

This international success further consolidates Unimore’s role as a reference centre for Bioengineering for Innovation in Medicine. The result is a direct outcome of the University’s vision which, since 2024, has launched a Master’s Degree Programme of the same name to train a new generation of engineers capable of integrating technological frontiers with the daily needs of clinical practice.

This EIC Transition funding will now make it possible to transform cutting-edge research into a prototype ready for clinical testing and, in the coming months, to launch an academic spin-off dedicated to its development and commercialisation.

Categorie: International - english, Notizie_eng