FALLING WALLS LAB WINNER

He had just 3 minutes to pitch an innovative idea, showcasing a breakthrough that creates a positive impact on science and society.

And by doing so Jamil Muradov now has a chance to win the title of “Science Breakthrough of the Year 2023” at the Falling Walls Science Summit, an international competition taking place in Berlin in November. 

Jamil’s 3-minute idea pitch was inspired by the research data that he collected as a graduate student in Dr. Alon Friedman's Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) lab. The BBB lab’s aim was to investigate the fundamental mechanisms in the brain that predispose certain individuals to develop long-term concussion complications, such as epilepsy, depression and migraines. They have elucidated that a brain phenomenon, termed the spreading depolarization, could be a key trigger of neuronal function disruption and brain vasculature constriction, underlying lasting brain disease. 

Muradov and his BBB Lab colleagues performed a drug search aiming to block the post-concussive spreading depolarizations and found that memantine, a safe and globally approved drug commonly used for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, can block spreading depolarizations and improve the outcomes of concussion. Translating these findings into the clinical setting could revolutionize concussion management globally and be a game-changer in the concussion treatment industry. 

When asked how he felt about his win, Jamil said “The atmosphere of the Falling Walls event was amazing. While I knew that my research was novel and high-impact, I could not imagine that the panel of judges would select me as a winner. All presentations were outstanding and addressed a diverse range of social, technological, and scientific issues that our society is currently facing. I was incredibly happy when my name was announced and felt honored to win such a tight competition”. 

Jamil was recently profiled for our BRC Trainee series and you can read a bit more about him at: brainrepair.ca/our-trainees