URIs_MOMENTUM_Research_and_Innovation_Magazine_Spring_2026_M

WALTER BESIO Professor of electrical, computer, and biomedical engineering

What remains are high-frequency oscillations directly beneath the electrode on the scalp, which are considered markers for seizure activity. Besio’s work drew the attention of a neurosurgeon who saw the potential for treating epilepsy. After joining URI in 2009, Besio secured a $350,000 grant from NSF’s General and Age-Related Disabilities Administration (FDA) approval, he has conducted years of studies. In 2011, he received a $50,000 NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) grant and joined the program’s first cohort—an eight-week boot camp in commercialization hosted at Stanford University. With help of the program, Besio launched a company, CREmedical, and earned additional Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants in 2013 and 2014. In 2015, a $6 million NSF grant supported the development of a cap-like device that both records and stimulates brain activity. program to further develop the technology. To prepare for necessary Food and Drug

Research trials showed that targeted electrical therapy could significantly reduce the dosage of anti-seizure drugs, minimizing drug side effects like dizziness and fatigue. After 22 years and nearly $10 million in federal funding, the system is now in clinical trials at Boston Children’s Hospital and the Barrow Neurological Institute. Researchers already can purchase the system for investigational use, even before FDA approval. And, Besio is seeking venture capital to expand access and explore new applications, from Parkinson’s to ADHD to stroke rehabilitation. Ultimately, he hopes the technology could one day help people with paralysis—like his brother— control a computer, wheelchair, or robotic limb using only their thoughts. “My goal has always been to prevent disease, disability, pain, and suffering,” Besio says. “We’ve got our first trials in humans showing it’s safe and it’s working. Now I’m starting to look for big, big funding to move it along more quickly.”

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