UW Electrical & Computer Engineering

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A new research platform developed by UW ECE and BioE Associate Professor Azadeh Yazdan is helping scientists control and monitor brain activity with light over long periods of time.

This innovative "toolbox" bridges the gap between laboratory research and life-saving medical applications. Its long-term stability makes it especially valuable for studying chronic conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, stroke, and mental health disorders.

Yazdan is the Washington Research Foundation Innovation Associate Professor of Neuroengineering in UW ECE and the UW Department of Bioengineering. She noted that her lab is already seeing promise in using electrical stimulation to accelerate recovery from stroke and pathologies associated with Alzheimer's disease.

By making this platform accessible to other labs, she and her team hope to accelerate the journey toward a future where the most complex diseases of the human brain can be successfully treated and cured.

Pictured next to Yazdan: An image of the optical window with optogenetic/electrophysiology integration engineered by Yazdan and her research team to view the brain over long periods of time.

Learn more: wanbrc.uw.edu/platform-bridges-gap-to-human-brain-therapies

Read about Yazdan’s research in these journals:

Nature Communications: www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-69448-3
Nature Microsystems & Nanoengineering: www.nature.com/articles/s41378-026-01166-8
Wiley Advanced Science: advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/advs.202514419