The PearNet project at the University Hospital Bonn and University of Bonn has secured €2.7 million in funding over three years through the GO-Bio next program of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space. The initiative is developing advanced wearables designed to give epilepsy patients early warnings of seizures while monitoring and recording them in real time. The funding will support preparations for spinning off the project into a biotechnology startup, with the goal of bringing these devices to market.
Led by Professor Rainer Surges and Drs. Marcel Bausch and Arthur Jordan, PearNet is building a network of body sensors that continuously track biosignals in everyday life. These signals are analyzed using artificial intelligence, taking into account individual patient patterns to improve prediction and diagnosis. One of the mini-sensors functions like an EEG in the ear, measuring brain activity through tiny electrodes in the auditory canal. The long-term vision is to expand the sensor set to forecast seizures more accurately, monitor them comprehensively, and enhance therapy outcomes.
Epilepsy affects around 50 million people worldwide, with current treatment systems often expensive, imprecise, or unsuitable for daily use. Misdiagnoses affect up to 20 percent of patients, while 70 percent of seizures go unrecognized. PearNet’s discreet, wearable sensors aim to close this gap by providing reliable, long-term monitoring without disrupting patients’ routines.
The project has progressed rapidly through the GO-Bio program, moving from exploratory and feasibility phases into GO-Bio next ahead of schedule. Support from the University of Bonn’s Transfer Center enaCom and Faculty of Medicine has been crucial in guiding funding applications, partnerships, and patent protection.
GO-Bio funding is designed to help life sciences researchers transform innovative ideas into market-ready products. PearNet exemplifies this mission by combining cutting-edge neuroscience, biotechnology, and AI to deliver practical solutions for epilepsy care, with the potential to significantly improve diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment for millions of patients.
