Professor Peter Magill, Supernumerary Fellow in Neurobiology at Univ, is the founding Director of a new Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE) in Restorative Neural Dynamics. The centre, which opens in November 2025, aims to transform the use of medical devices for the treatment of brain conditions including Parkinson’s, dementia, stroke, and epilepsy.

The MRC CoRE in Restorative Neural Dynamics will receive up to £50 million over a period of 14 years and will be led by researchers at the University as well as Cardiff University, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, Imperial College London and Newcastle University.

The team’s work will centre around neural dynamics – the patterns of activity across nerve cell networks within the brain that underlie behaviour – and the team will develop new technologies and interventions such as brain implants or wearable devices with the capacity to improve brain and body function.

Initially, the centre will concentrate its efforts on the development of device-based approaches to support people with brain conditions affecting movement, memory and sleep. The long-term aim of the team is to use devices to reorganise circuits within the brain and reduce the speed of clinical progression.

Professor Magill said, “‘This exciting endeavour is not just about the research but also how we will deliver it. Our ambition is to set new benchmarks in research culture, stakeholder involvement, and collaborative working between public and private sectors. We aim to create a national asset that empowers and enables people and organisations across the board.”

“Our research approach is centred on patients. To make these devices a part of every-day care in the NHS, we need interventions and technologies that provide greater clinical benefits and are also accessible, scalable and cost-effective. We also know that one size will not fit all. Everyone’s lived experience with these conditions is different. So, it’s important that we tailor treatments to meet diverse needs and priorities. We can tackle this by intelligently interacting with neural dynamics in affected brain areas at the right times and with the best tools.”

The MRC CoRE in Restorative Neural Dynamics will collaborate closely with clinical teams, research charities, regulatory agencies, and members of the neurotechnology industry.

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