Silence: Closed-Loop Sonogenetic Seizure Control
Evan Morris · Saint Paul, Minnesota
Mary Sue Coleman Award for Life Science Innovation & Impact ($10,000) · Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair · 2026
A computer-controlled system that detects seizure-like behaviour in genetically modified nematodes and responds by activating ultrasound-sensitive ion channels — closed-loop sonogenetic intervention rather than continuous stimulation.
Reported a 70.1% reduction in seizure recurrence.
Detection and intervention in one loop, in an organism simple enough to run the loop many times. Choosing C. elegans is what made a closed-loop experiment tractable at this scale.
- Sonogenetic ion-channel expression
- Automated seizure-behaviour detection
- Closed-loop ultrasound actuation
- C. elegans model system
- Pick the simplest organism that still shows the phenomenon you need to control
- Responding on detection rather than stimulating continuously is a different and much stronger claim
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