Atmospheric Science
Chair of Clinical Neuroengineering (UPHummel Lab)
Prof. Friedhelm C. Hummel
Defitech Chair for Clinical Neuroenginering, - Hummel Lab
Clinical Neuroengineering
Our mission
The Hummel Lab aims to advance personalized neurotechnological interventions that enhance recovery of sensorimotor and cognitive functions in individuals affected by neurological disorders such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, and neurodegenerative diseases. By combining mechanistic insight into brain function and recovery with the development of predictive biomarkers, our goal is to translate personalized innovative neurotechnologies from the laboratory bench to the clinical bedside.
Research topics |
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| 1 |
Better understanding of motor and cogntiive functions and how they are implemneted in the brain and their changes with healthy aging leveraging cutting-edge multimodal brain imaging, electrophysiology and bheavioral tasks. |
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Better understanding neurological disorders using advanced brain investigation methods such as neuroimaging, electrophysiology, and brain stimulation to reveal how brain networks change in health and disease. |
| 3 |
Developing neurotechnology-based therapies to improve the quality of life of patients with neurological disorders, translating cutting-edge brain research into effective, personalized clinical interventions. |
Our key projects
Modulation of Learning
Pioneering non-invasive deep brain stimulation of regions such as the striatum, key for motor and reward-based learning, we demonstrated for the first time that transcranial temporal interference stimulation (tTIS) can enhance motor skill acquisition and reinforcement learning.
Academic Partners: N. Grossman (Imperial), M. Wessel (UK Würzburg), E. Neufeld (ETHZ), Abderrahmane (HVS). IT IS foundation (Zürich), TI Solution (Zürich)
Modulation of Spatial Navigation
Using tTIS with concurrent neuroimaging and virtual reality, we showed for the first time that non-invasive deep brain stimulation of the hippocampus can enhance spatial navigation and boost hippocampal activity, paving the way for clinical applications in TBI and dementia.
Academic Partners: O.Blanke (EPFL), M. Wessel (UK Würzburg), E. Neufeld (ETHZ). IT IS foundation (Zürich), TI Solution (Zürich)
TiMeS Project
A unique longitudinal stroke study leveraging the unique clinical–research ecosystem in Sion to characterize multidomain deficits, recovery mechanisms, and predictive biomarkers through multimodal assessments combining neuroimaging, electrophysiology, and detailed behavioral phenotyping.
Clinical Partners: CRR, HVS, Berner Klinik. Academic Partners: S. Micera, O.Blanke, D. van de Ville, all EPFL)
Our results and highlights |
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| 1 |
December 2023 -> Our first ‘home-made’conference: Sion Stroke Recovery Conference |
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Friedhelm Hummel received in 2024 The Research Prize for Neurorehabilitation of the Fürst Donnersmarck Foundation, awarded every three years, highly competitive and prestigious. Elena Beanato received 2024 the BMI best PhD thesis award. Pierre Vassiliadis received the 2024 Biaggi de Blasys PhD Award and 2025 the NCM xoung sceintist award. |
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‘SNSF Lead Agency Brazil-CH FoG Project |
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Pioneering non-invasive deep brain stimulation |
Team & talents
Lab team size
18 (2024)
Introducing a specific team member
2024: Elena Beanato and Pierre Vassiliadis, Elena Beanato’s thesis was honored in 2024 with the 2023 Best Thesis Prize from the EPFL Brain Mind Institute, while Pierre Vassiliadis received the 2024 Biaggi de Blasys award.
Skills developed by the scientific team
Developing advanced skills in: Non-invasive brain stimulation, Systems neuroscience, Neuroimaging, Electrophysiology methods. Learning to think critically
Other
Our lab is actively involved in outreach and dissemination activities to engage with the broader community. We hosted visits for young pupils
(Collège de la Planta, Sion), offering them the opportunity to discover our research and explore the lab environment. Additionally, we are committed to professional development, taking part in training days such as the
Journée de Rééducation at Clinique Romande de Réadaptation and Hopital du Valais (September and November 2024) where we contributed to advancing knowledge inneurorehabilitation.
Regional and social impacts |
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| 1 |
Advancing our understanding of neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer, stroke or traumatic brain injury, to develop innovative neuro-technologies based rehabilitation methods to improve patients’ life and provide first proof-of-concept for clinical translation. |
| 2 |
Strenghtening the eco-systems of clinical translational research with clinical partners (HVS, CRR,…) and universities (HES-SO Valais-Wallis)Addressing core disorders impacting on health economics in Valais and develop novel treatment startegies. Strenghtening the clinical-translational eco-systems with clinical partners (HVS, CRR, Berner Klinik) and research institutions (HES-SO Valais, Sense, Spark). |
| 3 |
Paving the way to new treatments, if successful strong impact on health economy and health costs |
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Making Valais more attractive for translational neuroscientists, putting Valais on competitve map for translational neuroscience (Stroke conference 2023 oranized by the lab) |
Perspectives and challenges
Main opportunities
Pioneer next-generation neurotechnologies, particularly non-invasive brain stimulation, and translate them from bench to bedside.
Strengthen collaborations with clinical partners to optimize patient recruitment and access.
Contribute to further building the vibrant clinical–scientific–innovation ecosystem in Sion.
Foster excellent working conditions and growth opportunities for all team members.
Main challenges
Distance the main campus and Campus Biotech for events, teaching and collaboration. Critical mass of neuroscientist, neuroengineers. Patient recruitment
Future Partnerships
Further collaborations within the Sion health, clinical translational and innovation ecosystem. Pole sante will be an excellent incubator for it.
