Hopewell M.I.N.D. Prize

Dr. Adam Kirton and Dr. Alicia Hilderley received the 2024 Hopewell M.I.N.D. Prize for BCI@home, a project designed to bring brain–computer interface (BCI) technology into the homes of children living with severe physical disabilities. Building on the BCI4Kids program, their work uses non-invasive headsets that translate brain signals into digital actions, enabling children who cannot move or speak to interact with their environment.

The research aims to:

• deliver personalized BCI systems directly to families’ homes to support communication and daily function

• identify each child’s unique goals and tailor BCI tools to help them participate more fully in life

• build a scalable model of community-based BCI care in Alberta, creating a pathway for national and global expansion

Where they are now

The team has received ethics approval to evaluate Club BCI, a summer camp–style program where children use BCI technology in a supportive group setting, with eight participants expected in 2025. Insights from this program will directly inform BCI@home. In June 2025, the team hosted the world’s largest BCI meeting in Banff, bringing together international leaders and patient partners. They have also established their core transdisciplinary team (family partners, engineering, occupational therapy, clinical leads) and submitted ethics for BCI@home, with recruitment planned for Fall 2025. Multiple home-based BCI applications are now in development, guided by ongoing family engagement.

Dr. Aaron Phillips received the 2023 $1-million Hopewell M.I.N.D. Prize for a project testing a new way to protect and heal the spinal cord after injury. His research focuses on the critical period after trauma, when unstable blood flow creates a “secondary injury” that can double the severity of long-term damage. Dr. Phillips’ team is exploring whether stabilizing spinal cord blood flow early on can improve recovery and reduce disability.

The research aims to:

• test whether a closed-loop system that adjusts carbon dioxide levels can stabilize blood flow and support neurorecovery
• evaluate additional targeted drugs that may improve circulation at the injury site
• combine effective hemodynamic treatments with rehabilitation to enhance recovery outcomes

Where they are now

Dr. Phillips continues to advance Hemodynamic Neuroprotection for spinal cord injury (SCI). Over the past year, his team has examined how carbon dioxide improves blood flow in the central nervous system to minimize the long-term damage from SCI. They have also tested carbon dioxide therapy alongside currently available drugs to promote recovery of function after SCI, with promising results showing improved survivability and function. The team has developed analytical methods to assess motor recovery after SCI and will next use advanced imaging techniques to explore the specific mechanisms behind these improvements. The scientific knowledge and clinical application of this technology has the potential to extend to other conditions like stroke or traumatic brain injury. By informing how SCI is acutely treated, Dr. Phillip’s work promises to improve patient outcomes, reduce risk of complications, lessen health care costs, and improve overall quality of life.

Dr. Peter Stys received the inaugural $1-million Hopewell M.I.N.D. Prize for his work exploring the non-immune role of B cells in Multiple Sclerosis. Dr. Sty’s research proposed that beyond autoimmune inflammation, MS may involve a protein-misfolding degenerative process driven by a toxic factor secreted by B cells.

The research aims to:

• study B cells from MS patients to identify this unknown toxic factor
• test whether B cells or their secretions can cause MS-like damage
• investigate whether Epstein–Barr virus, which almost everyone with MS has been infected with, plays a role in turning B cells into these toxin-producing cells.

Where they are now

Dr. Stys has shown that cultured B cells from patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are indeed toxic, and remain so for many generations, suggesting they may be genetically modified in the patient. However, the team has uncovered an exciting new discovery in selectively removing toxic misfolded proteins from the byproducts of MS B cells release. This confirms their original suspicion: that the toxin produced by MS B cells is not an antibody, but an Alzheimer’s-like misfolded protein. The next exciting step is to identify the precise molecular nature of this toxin, which will radically change our understanding of the relationship between the immune system and the brain in MS.