Chronic Deep-Brain Micro-Endoscopy in Behaving Animal Models: Advancing Holographic Endoscopes Along the Path to Global Availability.

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Utilising a hair-thin multimode optical fibre, the holographic endoscope allows minimally invasive, high-resolution in-vivo imaging at subcellular levels across any brain structure. The NEUROGATE project will significantly enhance the potential of this breakthrough technology for biomedical imaging by commercialising critical innovations in holographic endoscopy, developed through the prior ERC-PoC projects WOKEGATE and StrokeGATE. The innovations include bending-resilient fibres and brain interfaces, enabling chronic studies, minimising tissue damage and providing flexibility in reconnecting with the region of interest. They make holographic endoscopy the breakthrough technology which enables chronic in-vivo imaging of neuronal signalling and structural connectivity in deep brain regions of freely moving animal models, overcoming several limitations of current technologies. NEUROGATE brings together three academic partners and a commercial venture to validate the system under real-world conditions and achieve TRL6, spinning out the new technology across biomedical research sector, where its potential market exceeds €850 million. This novel tool aims to transform neuroscience by enabling chronic in-vivo monitoring of vitally important brain processes at the microscopic level in both healthy and diseased states, with broad applications in research and medicine.