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Jacques Carolan

@jacquescarolan.bsky.social
179 followers 115 following 30 posts

Applied Physicist & Neuroscientist || Current: Programme Director @ ARIA || Previous: Neuroscience @ UCL & Quantum Computing @ MIT || He/Him www.aria.org.uk jacquescarolan.github.io

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Jacques Carolan @jacquescarolan.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
I'm going to be at SfN later this week! Who else is going? What events should I check out etc?
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Reposted by Jacques Carolan
Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
A silence switch for cancer + fungal networks as bio-interfaces – meet the 8 new Creator seeds we're funding in Scalable Neural Interfaces. Led by @jacquescarolan.bsky.social, this space asks how we can safely connect tech with the human nervous system. Dive in ↓ link.aria.org.uk/snb-seeds-bl...
link.aria.org.uk
Scalable Neural Interfaces
Neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders have overwhelming societal and economic impacts. We need a new suite of tools that enable us to interface, at scale, with the human brain.
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Jacques Carolan @jacquescarolan.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
Finally: on a personal note this has been such a wild journey. I spent 10 years building quantum computers and then jacked it all in to try and become a neuroscientist (I don't have high-school biology lol). The reason I could do this is because of wonderful friends at the Neural Computation Lab!
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Jacques Carolan @jacquescarolan.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
Together, this is a blueprint for defining synaptic plasticity rules *during behaviour*, with direct voltage readout on standard 2-photon rigs. Check out the paper here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
All-optical voltage interrogation for probing synaptic plasticity in vivo - Nature Communications
Reliable measuring the voltage dynamics of individual neurons in the intact brain is significantly challenging. Here authors developed an all-optical method combining two-photon voltage imaging and optogenetics to measure and induce synaptic plasticity in vivo, revealing LTP of inhibition in cerebellar circuits and providing a blueprint to link synaptic changes to learning.
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Jacques Carolan @jacquescarolan.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
Finally, we used this to probe synaptic plasticity. Pairing climbing fibre input before granule cell activation induced potentiation of IPSPs, lasting at least 40 min. Smaller IPSPs potentiated more, and neighbours co-potentiated — revealing circuit-level learning rules.
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Jacques Carolan @jacquescarolan.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
Because we could image full dendritic arbors across multiple cells, we saw rich circuit dynamics: precise synchrony of CF-evoked events, spatially diverse inhibition across branches, and global vs local patterns of dendritic activity.
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Jacques Carolan @jacquescarolan.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
With this, we captured high-fidelity recordings of spontaneous and sensory-evoked complex spikes, optogenetically evoked IPSPs (via feedforward inhibition) + even the occasional EPSP!
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Jacques Carolan @jacquescarolan.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
We expressed JEDI-2Psub in Purkinje cell dendrites and opsins in cerebellar granule cells. This enables us to both image voltage at postsynaptic dendrites and precisely activate presynaptic inputs with light.
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Jacques Carolan @jacquescarolan.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
At the heart of this is a new voltage indicator — JEDI-2Psub — from colleagues at the St.Pierre Lab. Optimised for subthreshold signals, it gives ~3.5× larger responses near rest compared to JEDI-2P. This makes it ideal for capturing synaptic potentials.
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Jacques Carolan @jacquescarolan.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
SUPER excited that my first ever *real* neuroscience paper is published today in Nat Comms!🥳 We combined two-photon voltage imaging ⚡️and optogenetics 🔦to probe synaptic plasticity in the cerebellum of awake behaving mice. 🧵
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Jacques Carolan @jacquescarolan.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
That’s the vision we’re exploring. If you’re working on transformative, unconventional ideas to 1000x the scale of neurotech or have answers to the following questions — I’d love to hear from you! 📖 Full post: link.aria.org.uk/jacquessubst...
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Jacques Carolan @jacquescarolan.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
Neurotech needs the same inflection point. From invasive, last-resort procedures → simple, scalable, globally accessible platforms. The 1950s had the transistor. Today the convergence of engineered biology + hardware could make a surgery-free, platform neurotechnology possible
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Jacques Carolan @jacquescarolan.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
I think cardiology in the 1950s is a great case study, where treating heart block required open-heart surgery. The leap wasn’t “better surgery.” It was the transvenous lead — a minimally invasive access route that unlocked millions of pacemaker implants/year. ❤️⚡
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Jacques Carolan @jacquescarolan.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
DBS for PD is a great proof point: effective, approved, reimbursed… yet only a fraction of people eligible receive it. Complex surgery imposes a series of stacked, multiplicative barriers that fundamentally limit scalability. So what do we do?
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Jacques Carolan @jacquescarolan.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
Emerging therapies show real promise: ⚡ Targeted electrical stimulation for intractable psychiatric disorders 🧬 Cell therapies for neurodegenerative disease But they won’t scale to the millions who need them. doi.org/10.1016/j.br... doi.org/10.1016/j.pa...
t.co
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brs.2025.08.017
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Jacques Carolan @jacquescarolan.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
We’re facing a global brain-health crisis: 🧠 Brain disorders = biggest disease burden worldwide 💔 3× that of heart disease 💰 Costs US + Europe $1.7 trillion annually And the gap between need & treatment is only widening. doi.org/10.1159/0005...
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Jacques Carolan @jacquescarolan.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
I’ve been thinking a lot about how we scale neurotech. Current approaches (e.g. DBS for PD) aren’t meeting the need. Emerging ones may fare even worse. That’s why I’m scoping a new @aria-research.bsky.social programme to develop neurotech built for scale. Check out my post +share feedback!👇
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Reposted by Jacques Carolan
Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) @aria-research.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
What if we could engineer the innate immune system for broad, long-lasting resilience? Our latest thesis, Sustained Viral Resistance, proposes using AI, synthetic biology + materials chemistry to catalyse a new era of innate immunotherapies. Dive in/give feedback: link.aria.org.uk/sii-progthes...
link.aria.org.uk
Sculpting Innate Immunity
The immune system sustains human health via the complementary action of its two branches: the innate and the adaptive immune systems. Precision modulation of innate immunity can unlock transformative ...
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Jacques Carolan @jacquescarolan.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Jacques Carolan @jacquescarolan.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
wait... fungi display action potentials?!🤯 "Two types of spiking activity are uncovered: high-frequency (period 2.6 min) and low-frequency (period 14 min) .." is this well known in biology? like, if I actually studied it at school would I know this? so cool!
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Jacques Carolan @jacquescarolan.bsky.social · 27/01/2025
Love this. Definitely the cerebellum. Specifically how different cell types map onto specific components of an adaptive filter www.nature.com/articles/nrn...
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Motif Neurotech @motifneuro.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
We've been selected by @aria-research.bsky.social to develop a network of neural devices designed to monitor and regulate mental and cognitive states without brain surgery. The UK-based program led by @jacquescarolan.bsky.social is contributing £69M to unlock the full potential of #neurotech.
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Reposted by Jacques Carolan
Susanne Ahmari @ahmarilab.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
🚨 hey hey everyone interested in non-invasive precision #neurotech for neuropsych disease: ARIA's Precision Neurotechnologies Program teams announced! Kudos to PD @jacquescarolan.bsky.social for putting together an amazing group👏👏👏 Excitedly watching this space 👀🍿 www.aria.org.uk/opportunity-...
aria.org.uk
Precision Neurotechnologies
Backed by £69m, this programme aims to unlock new methods to interface with the human brain at the cellular level, with unprecedented precision.
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Jacques Carolan @jacquescarolan.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
Thanks for amplifying Susanne! Inspired by your awesome work over at Wellcome Leap.
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Reposted by Jacques Carolan
Jake Toth @jaketoth.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
It’s so exciting to see all the newly funded ARIA Precision Neurotechnologies projects get announced! A full list can be found here: www.aria.org.uk/opportunity-...
aria.org.uk
Precision Neurotechnologies
Backed by £69m, this programme aims to unlock new methods to interface with the human brain at the cellular level, with unprecedented precision.
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Jacques Carolan @jacquescarolan.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
A 'programme' should bring teams together to create some kind of nonlinear reaction which just isn't possible by funding them in isolation. I can't wait to see the synergies and interactions that come out of this incredible group 🧪(3/3)
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Jacques Carolan @jacquescarolan.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
Some of the things I'm most excited by are (a) the diversity of technologies we can support (biohybrids🧫, gene therapies🧬 microscopic CMOS robots🤖 acoustic🔊 and electrical interfaces⚡️) and (b) the variety of institutions (academia, startups, hospitals, non-profits) (2/3)
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Jacques Carolan @jacquescarolan.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
🚨I’m super excited to announce the teams we’re funding as part of our Precision Neurotechnologies programme.🚨 They’ll work on the next-gen tech that’ll allow us to understand + treat a wider range of brain disorders than ever before. Read more below (1/3) @aria-research.bsky.social
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Jacques Carolan @jacquescarolan.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/cambridgeneu... www.convergentresearch.org/frost-uk www.aria.org.uk/opportunity-... www.fiftyyears.com/5050
cambridgenetwork.co.uk
Fellowship Programme | Cambridge Network
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Jacques Carolan @jacquescarolan.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
There are LOTS of exciting ARIA-Neurotech opportunities closing in the next month 🤯 🧠Cambridge NeuroWorks 17/01 🧠UK FROs 07/02 🧠 ARIA Seeds Call 13/02 🧠 FiftyYears UK Cohort 17/02 Wild time to be building Neurotech. Don't sleep! Links 🔽
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Jacques Carolan @jacquescarolan.bsky.social · 13/01/2025
Teaming platform: tinyurl.com/bdz5vtyv Solicitation call: www.aria.org.uk/opportunity-...
tinyurl.com
Register for ARIA's Scalable Neural Interfaces Teaming Platform
If you would like to submit a combined proposal with potential collaborators for the Scalable Neural Interfaces Opportunity Seeds funding call, please fill in and submit a copy of this form to registe...
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Jacques Carolan @jacquescarolan.bsky.social · 13/01/2025
In advance of our upcoming seeds call (deadline 13/02/25) we're launching our **teaming platform** to help match scientists with diverse expertise. ⚽️🏀🏈 You can sign up with the link below and register your expertise along with the expertise you are looking for!
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Jacques Carolan @jacquescarolan.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
I'm convinced that FROs are one of the most consequential mechanisms for making progress in the neurotechnology space. The fact that Convergent are setting up this programme in the UK is SO exciting 🤯 Ya'll should: 1. Apply 2. Tell the single most incredible person you know to apply.
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Jacques Carolan @jacquescarolan.bsky.social · 31/12/2024
🥳
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Reposted by Jacques Carolan
Jacob Robinson @jacobrobinson.bsky.social · 23/12/2024
What is or isn't a "BCI"? We argue in Nature BME today that if the tech stimulates or records brain activity AND does computation, it's a BCI. www.nature.com/articles/s41... But we still need a way to discuss different types of BCI separately... 🧵 #BCI #BrainComputerInterface
nature.com
An application-based taxonomy for brain–computer interfaces - Nature Biomedical Engineering
Naming brain–computer interfaces according to their intended application will assist stakeholders in the evaluation of the benefits and risks of neurotechnologies.
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Jacques Carolan @jacquescarolan.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
Oh the awkward first post 😬 here goes... I'm a Programme Director at ARIA where I lead the Precision Neurotechnology programme. Interests: {neurotechnolgy, neuroscience, photonics, improv comedy, climbing, record collecting}. Excited to connect with folks interested in any combination of the above!
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