Roblox creator ups the game with $6.2m gift to reshape brain disorders treatments
Roblox founder and CEO David Baszucki and his wife have donated $6.2m to develop a new software platform that could revolutionise the study and treatment of brain disorders, such as dementia.
Neuroblox is a cutting-edge programme that will model brain circuits to treat a range of neurological disorders like dementia, epilepsy, ADD, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder.
It’s developer, biomedical engineer and neuroscientist Professor Lilianne Mujica-Parody, says the platform will allow researchers to explore the complexities of brain-based disorders by providing a blueprint for individualised care.
Taking its inspiration from Roblox – the popular virtual environment and creation system that allows users to programme and play games designed by other contributors – it’s hoped the platform will open up a world of modelling possibilities for neuroscientists without training in technical computing.
A screen shot of the Neuroblox interface.
Professor Mujica-Parodi said: “Right now, there is a disconnect between the aims of clinical research and the computational tools we have to exploit that research. Neuroblox is doing something fundamentally different. It’s trying to bridge that gap.”
Mr Baszucki and his wife, the best-selling fiction writer Jan Ellison Baszucki, have been prompted to make the multi-million dollar philanthropic gift after their son Matt’s bipolar disorder was put into remission from following a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet – an area Professor Mujica-Parodi has explored in a first-of-its-kind study looking at the role of ketosis on brain functioning.
The investment from the Baszucki family includes $3.2m to help push forward with the development of the Neuroblox platform, which its backers believe could not only revolutionise mental health but shake-up the world of clinical neuroscience.
The remaining $3m will be used to create the Baszucki Endowed Chair for Metabolic Neuroscience at the Stony Brook University in New York. Professor Mujica-Parodi will be the inaugural holder of this chair, which recognises an exceptional researcher in metabolic neuroscience.
The gifts will be enhanced by an additional $550,000 from Stony Brook’s Presidential Innovation and Excellence Fund, designed specifically to accelerate the university’s highest ambitions.
Brain disorders like bipolar, Alzheimer’s dementia, and schizophrenia impact millions of families who have long struggled to find answers, including Jan and David Baszucki.
It was the couple themselves who reached out to Professor Mujica-Parodi after learning about her study exploring the role of ketosis on brain functioning.
Jan Baszucki said: “Here was a neuroscientist unveiling the mechanism by which ketones work to stabilize brain networks. This explained why a ketogenic diet gave our son his mind and his life back. We had to wonder if building on this knowledge by investing in metabolic neuroscience could be the first step toward helping others suffering from mental illnesses.”
Fuelled by enthusiasm for the potential of this project, Professor Mujica-Parodi quickly assembled a team of the brightest minds in computing, neuroscience, biomedical engineering and beyond to bring the Neuroblox vision to life.
Professor Lilianne Mujica-Parodi
She quickly realised that the potential impact of the Neuroblox platform extended far beyond bipolar disorder, however.
No longer was she creating just one solution by taking a circuit-based approach to the problem, but developing an infrastructure that could be applied to brain-based disorders more widely – including dementia, which is currently estimated to affect more than 55 million people globally.
This figure is expected to double every 20 years, with more than 80 million anticipated to be living with the progressive brain disorder by 2030.
David Baszucki said: “Lily is building a software platform where neuroscience researchers worldwide can refine, test and share models to help us understand how the brain regulates energy – a critical driver of mental health. Our family believes Neuroblox’s impact on understanding and treating brain-based disorders, including mental illness, will be transformative.”
Currently there is no clear understanding of which interventions may help with the treatment of brain disorders, whether that be lifestyle changes such as therapeutic nutritional ketosis to supplements and medication, and in what combinations and for which patients.
But it is hoped by creating a way to test possibly thousands of hypothesis in parallel, options can be eliminated through computation rather than guesswork. In short, Neuroblox would create the opportunity to forecast how the brain would respond to various interventions and at what rate over a set timescale.
American author and sixth president of Stony Brook University, Maurie McInnis, said: “Lily’s innovative approach to one of our most pressing societal issues – our mental health and well-being – is inspiring. It underscores our commitment as an institution to advance knowledge that will have a long-term, significant impact on the world,;
“We could not be prouder of these efforts, and we are thrilled that the Baszuckis have chosen to invest in Lily’s trailblazing work in a way that will undoubtedly change lives.”
