Dr. Jan Roediger Receives the Humboldt Prize
As part of his doctoral thesis, Dr. Jan Roediger developed software for computer-assisted programming of deep brain stimulation in individuals with Parkinson’s disease. For his work, the assistant doctor at the Section for Movement Disorders and Neuromodulation has now received the "Research to Innovation" prize, which is valued at 1,000 euros, as a subcategory of the Humboldt Prize. The dean, Prof. Joachim Spranger, nominated the young scientist for the award.
Software “StimFit” Calculates Stimulation Parameters
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an important therapeutic option for treating idiopathic Parkinson's syndrome. In this procedure, an implanted pacemaker generates electrical impulses that are directed to specific brain regions. This allows pathological communication patterns in certain brain networks to be modulated, thereby alleviating the symptoms of the disease. A key factor for optimal therapeutic success is the individual adjustment of stimulation parameters such as amplitude or frequency of the electrical impulses. This adjustment process is currently time- and resource-intensive, with doctors making adjustments over months or even years. To address this, Dr. Roediger developed the software “StimFit,” which calculates the stimulation parameters within two hours. The calculation is based on the individual electrode placement and anatomy of the patients.
Advancing Personalized Neuromodulation
Funded by the NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, the algorithm was tested in a prospective study. It was shown that the computer-based, and therefore much faster, adjustment method is not inferior to the manual optimization process. The software could be integrated into clinical practice and help advance the development of personalized neuromodulation. The study was published in the leading international medical informatics journal The Lancet Digital Health and was awarded the Paper of the Month 12/22 in the Department Neurology and SFB 295 (Retune).
About Dr. Jan Roediger
Jan Roediger studied medicine at the University of Cologne. He joined the program of the Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin in October 2018 and is working as a research assistant in the group of Prof. Andrea Kühn. As a member of the Digital Clinician Scientist program at the Berlin Institute for Health, Dr. Roediger is currently combining his medical specialist training in the Neurology Clinic at Charité with his scientific work in the field of computer-assisted personalized medicine. He plans to continue developing such technologies: “I want to advance insights from basic research so that they intuitively and efficiently assist doctors in the individual optimization of therapy. The targeted use of data-based, multimodal, and automated procedures is the key to effective, resource-efficient, and patient-centered medicine. I hope that my work can make a small contribution to this."