BME Salı Seminerleri
Predictive Multiscale Modeling and Neural Interface Design for Neuromodulation of the Visual Pathway
by Ege İşeri, PhD
About the Seminar: Electrical stimulation-based therapies are emerging as clinically viable treatments for neurodegenerative disorders and injury in the central nervous system, yet their design is still largely guided by trial and error, limiting therapeutic precision and safety. My research addresses this gap by developing neuromodulation therapies and ocular implants for retinal degeneration and optic nerve injury through an integrated framework of predictive computational modeling and experimental validation. I developed a multiscale model of the degenerate retina that combines connectomics and in vitro electrophysiology to predict how externally applied electric fields interact with realistic neural circuits and modulate neuronal activity. The model guides electrode and stimulation waveform design prior to in vivo testing and provides a low-cost predictive framework for optimizing therapeutic efficacy of implants. Using this computational–experimental approach, I demonstrat ed a novel neurostimulation protocol that promoted directional axon regeneration and restored eye-to-brain connectivity in rat model of optic nerve injury and had a neuroprotective effect on the surviving cells in rat model of degeneration. These preclinical studies also characterized how electrode–tissue interactions evolve during chronic stimulation, leading to adaptive algorithms that dynamically adjust stimulationparameters in response to changes in tissue and electrode state. Future efforts will integrate predictive computational neuroscience, experimental electrophysiology, and in vivo data-driven learning to develop patient-specific neuromodulation strategies for ocular and brain implants.
About the Speaker: Ege İşeri is an Assistant Professor of Research at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California and the Institute for Technology and Medical Systems (ITEMS). Leading a multidisciplinary team at the intersection of engineering and medicine, he specializes in neural interface technologies and ocular neuroprosthetics. His multiscale computational models and implants are being used in preclinical studies to guide neuromodulation strategies that promote neuroregeneration after optic nerve injury and preserve retinal neurons in transgenic rat models of retinitis pigmentosa. Ege earned his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2015), his M.S. in Electrical Engineering–Medical Devices from the University of California, San Diego (2017), and his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Southern California (2024). Additionally, he worked as an algorithm engineer at the San Die go State University Research Foundation, as an R&D engineer at Second Sight Medical Devices, Inc., and served as entrepreneurial lead in the NSF’s I-Corps startup program.
Seminar Link: https://bulive.bogazici.edu.
P.S.: Participation is mandatory for students enrolled in BM579 and BM700.
