Sapien Labs Wins MIT SOLVE Brain Health Challenge

Boston, MA –  The Neurolab Seed program of Sapien Labs won the MIT SOLVE Brain Health Challenge.  As an MIT Solve Challenge winner,  Sapien Labs become part of the SOLVE Community working to further the larger goal of brain health and mental well-being for all. The final event was held at the Apella center in New York on September 17, 2017.

The Neurolab solution provides a research platform to accelerate and amplify human neuroscience by making it easy for non-neuroscientists operating in underrepresented regions of the world to quickly and cost effectively become productive EEG researchers.   Neurolab Seed accomplishes this through a startup kit that provides EEG equipment, access to Brainbase (brainbase.io) a collaborative research and data management platform, analytical tools, video based tutorials and online workshops.  The program aims to contribute to our understanding of brain health by creating a global open access EEG database that is representative of diverse populations around the world.  Today, the vast majority of data on the human brain comes from educated populations in wealthy, industrial nations and is not representative of the brain’s diversity worldwide. However, preliminary research has revealed much larger divergence in brain activity across human populations than previously thought.  Neurolab Seed will expand understanding of the human brain across diverse populations, enabling a more inclusive and large scale view of the brain function and health.  In helping researchers around the world to collect EEG data of diverse minds outside of the West, Sapien Labs will bring brain diversity to the forefront of the discussion, helping people from all corners of the Earth to benefit from our understanding of the brain.

SOLVE is an MIT initiative to connect innovators with the network and resources they need to succeed in solving global problems. They aim to identify the best, most actionable solutions to the world’s most pressing problems, bring these trailblazers together, and create a community of changemakers intent upon piloting innovative solutions. The Brain Health Solve Challenge was an open global call to submit solutions to the issue of brain health and mental well-being.  The brain health initiative of SOLVE aims to:

• Empower people anywhere in the world to improve their overall brain health and fitness, mental well-being, and mental resilience
• Enable earlier and more accurate diagnosis of problems
• Increase access to and efficacy of treatments
• Help build a positive, stigma-free culture in which all people feel empowered to proactively seek better brain health and mental fitness

Working together with other innovators in the field, Sapien Labs is excited to amplify its efforts to bring inclusive insights and understanding of the brain.