TK (Takashi DY) Kozai
@bioniclab.bsky.social
Ernest E Roth Professor. Dept Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh.
BionicLab.org
Neural Engineering; Neural Interfaces: Neurostimulation; Neurocomputation
BionicLab.org
Neural Engineering; Neural Interfaces: Neurostimulation; Neurocomputation
Pinned
Excited to be able to share our (Robert Gaunt, Alberto Vazquez, Omar Gharbawie, Mac Hooks, Chengcheng Huang) recent work to the University of Pittsburgh Provost and Vice Chancellor of Research, as well as the Board of Trustees.
news.engineering.pitt.edu/power-moves/
news.engineering.pitt.edu/power-moves/
New from University of Pittsburgh Neural Engineering Cross-Translation (UP NExT): PV interneurons don’t just control brain rhythms, they fine-tune blood flow too.
2P imaging + optogenetics, we found depth-specific vasoconstriction & dilation shaping both sensory-evoked & resting-state hemodynamics.
2P imaging + optogenetics, we found depth-specific vasoconstriction & dilation shaping both sensory-evoked & resting-state hemodynamics.
November 10, 2025 at 12:41 AM
New from University of Pittsburgh Neural Engineering Cross-Translation (UP NExT): PV interneurons don’t just control brain rhythms, they fine-tune blood flow too.
2P imaging + optogenetics, we found depth-specific vasoconstriction & dilation shaping both sensory-evoked & resting-state hemodynamics.
2P imaging + optogenetics, we found depth-specific vasoconstriction & dilation shaping both sensory-evoked & resting-state hemodynamics.
The University of Pittsburgh Neural Engineering Cross-Translation (UP NExT) Program is helping Americans & taxpayers by using Utah arrays to study brain signals. Insights from this work guide better use today and smarter designs for next-gen devices to restore movement & touch. #NIH #TaxpayerImpact
November 6, 2025 at 1:20 AM
The University of Pittsburgh Neural Engineering Cross-Translation (UP NExT) Program is helping Americans & taxpayers by using Utah arrays to study brain signals. Insights from this work guide better use today and smarter designs for next-gen devices to restore movement & touch. #NIH #TaxpayerImpact
Basic science is the rebar in brain tech.
From 2019-2022, NIH’s RFA-NS-20-006 funded the why behind implants that last 10 yrs, not 10 wks.
It ended in 2022, not because it failed, but because Academia/ DC grades on headlines, not foundations.
Demos dazzle. Basic science delivers.
#BuildToLast
From 2019-2022, NIH’s RFA-NS-20-006 funded the why behind implants that last 10 yrs, not 10 wks.
It ended in 2022, not because it failed, but because Academia/ DC grades on headlines, not foundations.
Demos dazzle. Basic science delivers.
#BuildToLast
November 3, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Basic science is the rebar in brain tech.
From 2019-2022, NIH’s RFA-NS-20-006 funded the why behind implants that last 10 yrs, not 10 wks.
It ended in 2022, not because it failed, but because Academia/ DC grades on headlines, not foundations.
Demos dazzle. Basic science delivers.
#BuildToLast
From 2019-2022, NIH’s RFA-NS-20-006 funded the why behind implants that last 10 yrs, not 10 wks.
It ended in 2022, not because it failed, but because Academia/ DC grades on headlines, not foundations.
Demos dazzle. Basic science delivers.
#BuildToLast
👁️ UPMC Vision Institute is restoring sight! The PRIMA wireless retinal implant + camera glasses helped patients with advanced macular degeneration regain functional vision. Over 80% saw measurable improvement. #VisionRestoration #Neuroprosthetics #UPMC #Pitt www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Subretinal Photovoltaic Implant to Restore Vision in Geographic Atrophy Due to AMD | NEJM
Geographic atrophy due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause
of irreversible blindness and affects more than 5 million persons worldwide. No therapies
to restore vision in ...
www.nejm.org
October 27, 2025 at 4:18 PM
👁️ UPMC Vision Institute is restoring sight! The PRIMA wireless retinal implant + camera glasses helped patients with advanced macular degeneration regain functional vision. Over 80% saw measurable improvement. #VisionRestoration #Neuroprosthetics #UPMC #Pitt www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Pitt’s UP NExT (NIH-funded) just turned pain-relief SCS into a sensory neuroprosthesis for amputees. Restored phantom foot feel
Cut knee co-contraction
Normalized pelvic motion, even OFF stim #Veterans walk safer, cheaper. NIH: UH3NS100541 #NeuralEngineering #Pitt
Cut knee co-contraction
Normalized pelvic motion, even OFF stim #Veterans walk safer, cheaper. NIH: UH3NS100541 #NeuralEngineering #Pitt
October 25, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Pitt’s UP NExT (NIH-funded) just turned pain-relief SCS into a sensory neuroprosthesis for amputees. Restored phantom foot feel
Cut knee co-contraction
Normalized pelvic motion, even OFF stim #Veterans walk safer, cheaper. NIH: UH3NS100541 #NeuralEngineering #Pitt
Cut knee co-contraction
Normalized pelvic motion, even OFF stim #Veterans walk safer, cheaper. NIH: UH3NS100541 #NeuralEngineering #Pitt
🧠🇺🇸 BREAKTHROUGH: 87.5% seizure reduction via personalized thalamic DBS, but only when matched to the patient’s brain network. UP NExT, NIH $$ → real results. No waste. American tech. Taxpayer ROI.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#Epilepsy #MAGA #NIH #NeuralEngineering #Pitt #Pittsburgh
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#Epilepsy #MAGA #NIH #NeuralEngineering #Pitt #Pittsburgh
Thalamocortical hodology to personalize electrical stimulation for focal epilepsy - Nature Communications
Over 50 million people worldwide suffer from epilepsy, and many patients remain resistant to medication. Here, the authors hypothesized that targeting thalamic nuclei with precise anatomical...
www.nature.com
October 25, 2025 at 11:39 AM
🧠🇺🇸 BREAKTHROUGH: 87.5% seizure reduction via personalized thalamic DBS, but only when matched to the patient’s brain network. UP NExT, NIH $$ → real results. No waste. American tech. Taxpayer ROI.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#Epilepsy #MAGA #NIH #NeuralEngineering #Pitt #Pittsburgh
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#Epilepsy #MAGA #NIH #NeuralEngineering #Pitt #Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh Neural Engineering (UP NExT) Program made history, restoring touch through brain-computer interfaces.
Nathan (longest BCI user) & Angie (newest) can feel again via electrodes in the brain.
NIH-funded science turning thought into movement, and contact into connection. 🧠🤝
Nathan (longest BCI user) & Angie (newest) can feel again via electrodes in the brain.
NIH-funded science turning thought into movement, and contact into connection. 🧠🤝
October 24, 2025 at 7:31 PM
The University of Pittsburgh Neural Engineering (UP NExT) Program made history, restoring touch through brain-computer interfaces.
Nathan (longest BCI user) & Angie (newest) can feel again via electrodes in the brain.
NIH-funded science turning thought into movement, and contact into connection. 🧠🤝
Nathan (longest BCI user) & Angie (newest) can feel again via electrodes in the brain.
NIH-funded science turning thought into movement, and contact into connection. 🧠🤝
🚨 Pharma CAN’T replace NIH, here’s why it screws MAGA:
NIH = public cures (cancer, rural opioids, mRNA vax)
Pharma = profit pills (bury breakthroughs, hide flops)
Trump’s NIH freeze? Hands future to Big Pharma + China.
68K red-state jobs gone → 100K+ lost forever.
🇺🇸 America First = NIH strong.
NIH = public cures (cancer, rural opioids, mRNA vax)
Pharma = profit pills (bury breakthroughs, hide flops)
Trump’s NIH freeze? Hands future to Big Pharma + China.
68K red-state jobs gone → 100K+ lost forever.
🇺🇸 America First = NIH strong.
October 24, 2025 at 10:40 AM
🚨 Pharma CAN’T replace NIH, here’s why it screws MAGA:
NIH = public cures (cancer, rural opioids, mRNA vax)
Pharma = profit pills (bury breakthroughs, hide flops)
Trump’s NIH freeze? Hands future to Big Pharma + China.
68K red-state jobs gone → 100K+ lost forever.
🇺🇸 America First = NIH strong.
NIH = public cures (cancer, rural opioids, mRNA vax)
Pharma = profit pills (bury breakthroughs, hide flops)
Trump’s NIH freeze? Hands future to Big Pharma + China.
68K red-state jobs gone → 100K+ lost forever.
🇺🇸 America First = NIH strong.
Hardworking taxpayers fund the science that doubles life expectancy & cures disease, but trust is crumbling. Scientists must step out of the lab to rebuild it. Advocacy & outreach aren’t extras, they’re essential to protect your health, wallet & future.
#ScienceTrust #Innovation
#ScienceTrust #Innovation
October 23, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Hardworking taxpayers fund the science that doubles life expectancy & cures disease, but trust is crumbling. Scientists must step out of the lab to rebuild it. Advocacy & outreach aren’t extras, they’re essential to protect your health, wallet & future.
#ScienceTrust #Innovation
#ScienceTrust #Innovation
Taxpayer funding fuels breakthroughs! 💡 Univ of Pittsburgh Neural Engineering Cross-Translation program's (NExT’s) SpIC3D creates a 3D spinal cord map for safer therapies, faster research, and fewer animals, maximizing every $.
🔗 www.cell.com/cell-reports...
#UPNExT #NIH #SpinalCord #MedicalImaging
🔗 www.cell.com/cell-reports...
#UPNExT #NIH #SpinalCord #MedicalImaging
SpIC3D imaging for spinal in situ contrast 3D visualization
Liang et al. develop SpIC3D, a multi-contrast spinal imaging pipeline that preserves
intact anatomical fidelity in ex vivo specimens, across spinal levels and species,
including humans. SpIC3D enables...
www.cell.com
October 23, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Taxpayer funding fuels breakthroughs! 💡 Univ of Pittsburgh Neural Engineering Cross-Translation program's (NExT’s) SpIC3D creates a 3D spinal cord map for safer therapies, faster research, and fewer animals, maximizing every $.
🔗 www.cell.com/cell-reports...
#UPNExT #NIH #SpinalCord #MedicalImaging
🔗 www.cell.com/cell-reports...
#UPNExT #NIH #SpinalCord #MedicalImaging
Strong showing from @PittBioE’s UP NExT program at #SfN2025 in San Diego!
Trainees & faculty are advancing neural engineering across scales, from glial modulation & ICMS to neurovascular imaging & computational models.
See how Pitt is redefining neural engineering.
#Neurotech
Trainees & faculty are advancing neural engineering across scales, from glial modulation & ICMS to neurovascular imaging & computational models.
See how Pitt is redefining neural engineering.
#Neurotech
October 23, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Strong showing from @PittBioE’s UP NExT program at #SfN2025 in San Diego!
Trainees & faculty are advancing neural engineering across scales, from glial modulation & ICMS to neurovascular imaging & computational models.
See how Pitt is redefining neural engineering.
#Neurotech
Trainees & faculty are advancing neural engineering across scales, from glial modulation & ICMS to neurovascular imaging & computational models.
See how Pitt is redefining neural engineering.
#Neurotech
Reposted by TK (Takashi DY) Kozai
Fears of political favoritism? We’ve seen months of actual political favoritism. www.science.org/content/arti...
JD Vance officiated the wedding of new head of NIH environmental institute
Unusual hiring process raises fears of political favoritism
www.science.org
October 23, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Fears of political favoritism? We’ve seen months of actual political favoritism. www.science.org/content/arti...
Pittsburgh's on Nat Geo's Best of the World 2026! From steel to tech powerhouse: Carnegie Int'l (AI curation), Warhol Museum ($60M tech upgrade), Arts Landing AR park, & NFL Draft.Hiring AI/Biomed/Robotics talent! CMU #1 in AI, U Pitt biomed leader. Low COL, riverside vibes. Join us.
October 23, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Pittsburgh's on Nat Geo's Best of the World 2026! From steel to tech powerhouse: Carnegie Int'l (AI curation), Warhol Museum ($60M tech upgrade), Arts Landing AR park, & NFL Draft.Hiring AI/Biomed/Robotics talent! CMU #1 in AI, U Pitt biomed leader. Low COL, riverside vibes. Join us.
Reposted by TK (Takashi DY) Kozai
The NIH institute director firing last Friday is very bad.
I made a video explainer about why.
Stay for last post, w link to @science.org story from @jocelynkaiser.bsky.social
1/4
🧪
I made a video explainer about why.
Stay for last post, w link to @science.org story from @jocelynkaiser.bsky.social
1/4
🧪
October 23, 2025 at 4:02 AM
The NIH institute director firing last Friday is very bad.
I made a video explainer about why.
Stay for last post, w link to @science.org story from @jocelynkaiser.bsky.social
1/4
🧪
I made a video explainer about why.
Stay for last post, w link to @science.org story from @jocelynkaiser.bsky.social
1/4
🧪
Exciting new opportunity at the University of Pittsburgh Neural Engineering Cross-Translation (UP NExT) program
@mcapo.bsky.social
@mcapo.bsky.social
October 18, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Exciting new opportunity at the University of Pittsburgh Neural Engineering Cross-Translation (UP NExT) program
@mcapo.bsky.social
@mcapo.bsky.social
The 2025 shutdown slams farmers, veterans, small biz, & taxpayers: $10B aid frozen, ACA premiums may double, kids lose WIC. Illegal RIF layoffs & trade stalls weaken us vs. China. Congress, pass a funding bill to keep healthcare affordable, reverse RIFs, & boost U.S. strength!
Some Americans Are Starting to Feel the Impact of the Government Shutdown
www.nytimes.com
October 13, 2025 at 7:34 PM
The 2025 shutdown slams farmers, veterans, small biz, & taxpayers: $10B aid frozen, ACA premiums may double, kids lose WIC. Illegal RIF layoffs & trade stalls weaken us vs. China. Congress, pass a funding bill to keep healthcare affordable, reverse RIFs, & boost U.S. strength!
Reposted by TK (Takashi DY) Kozai
Seeing a lot of celebration of this as a win.
But at NIH we have seen this exact play before.
It looks like it is the Vought strategy -and to stop the lawless firings we have to see the bigger picture.
A 🧵:
But at NIH we have seen this exact play before.
It looks like it is the Vought strategy -and to stop the lawless firings we have to see the bigger picture.
A 🧵:
Trump Administration Will Rehire Scores of Experts Fired in Error
www.nytimes.com
October 11, 2025 at 11:10 PM
Seeing a lot of celebration of this as a win.
But at NIH we have seen this exact play before.
It looks like it is the Vought strategy -and to stop the lawless firings we have to see the bigger picture.
A 🧵:
But at NIH we have seen this exact play before.
It looks like it is the Vought strategy -and to stop the lawless firings we have to see the bigger picture.
A 🧵:
🚨 Shutdown day 11: Hardworking taxpayers are slammed, 4,200+ federal workers face RIFs & premiums could soar to $1,904/yr. Congress, override RIFs & extend subsidies to ease the burden on taxpayers who keep America running. Act by Nov 1! Tell your reps. #OverrideRIF #TaxpayerRelief
October 11, 2025 at 8:00 AM
🚨 Shutdown day 11: Hardworking taxpayers are slammed, 4,200+ federal workers face RIFs & premiums could soar to $1,904/yr. Congress, override RIFs & extend subsidies to ease the burden on taxpayers who keep America running. Act by Nov 1! Tell your reps. #OverrideRIF #TaxpayerRelief
NIH cuts save $9-10B short-term, but they’re killing 202K jobs & $46B in red-state economies (TX, FL, OH). $8T healthcare disaster loom, no cancer/Alzheimer’s cures, pricier drugs. Scientists fleeing to China? Bad deal. Fight for NIH!
www.the-scientist.com/nih-leadersh...
#AmericaFirst
www.the-scientist.com/nih-leadersh...
#AmericaFirst
NIH Leadership Is Failing Early Career Researchers
Halted training programs, funding chaos, and hiring freezes jeopardize advancement options for early career researchers.
www.the-scientist.com
October 11, 2025 at 12:31 AM
NIH cuts save $9-10B short-term, but they’re killing 202K jobs & $46B in red-state economies (TX, FL, OH). $8T healthcare disaster loom, no cancer/Alzheimer’s cures, pricier drugs. Scientists fleeing to China? Bad deal. Fight for NIH!
www.the-scientist.com/nih-leadersh...
#AmericaFirst
www.the-scientist.com/nih-leadersh...
#AmericaFirst
🚨 Patriots, the "Compact for Academic Excellence" claims to fix colleges but stomps on 1st Amendment rights. It threatens YOUR jobs by diverting tax $$ to elites. FIRE calls it "McCarthyism 2.0." Fight for free speech & heartland jobs! #AmericaFirst www.thefire.org/news/fire-st...
FIRE statement on the White House’s Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education
The Wall Street Journal has reported the White House is asking colleges to sign an agreement to secure preferential treatment for government funding.
www.thefire.org
October 3, 2025 at 4:20 PM
🚨 Patriots, the "Compact for Academic Excellence" claims to fix colleges but stomps on 1st Amendment rights. It threatens YOUR jobs by diverting tax $$ to elites. FIRE calls it "McCarthyism 2.0." Fight for free speech & heartland jobs! #AmericaFirst www.thefire.org/news/fire-st...
🚨 Patriots, the "Compact for Academic Excellence" betrays hard working families! It diverts YOUR tax dollars to elite universities, starving heartland schools and risking 200K+ jobs in R&D and local businesses. Demand fair funding for YOUR community! 🇺🇸 #AmericaFirst
HIGHER ED EXTORTION: Trump offers “compact” to top universities—including Vanderbilt. Grants in exchange for: fewer foreign students, conservative gender policies, protected GOP ideology & speech limits on staff.
Will Vandy to submit to bullying for a bag of cash? www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/u...
Will Vandy to submit to bullying for a bag of cash? www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/u...
October 3, 2025 at 2:31 AM
🚨 Patriots, the "Compact for Academic Excellence" betrays hard working families! It diverts YOUR tax dollars to elite universities, starving heartland schools and risking 200K+ jobs in R&D and local businesses. Demand fair funding for YOUR community! 🇺🇸 #AmericaFirst
🚨 The gov shutdown is costing taxpayers $400M/day, killing jobs, stalling NIH/NSF innovation, & letting China gain on us. 🇺🇸 needs action, not gridlock! 🙏Thank you, federal workers, for your service. Let’s end this now! #MAGA #GovernmentShutdown #AmericanStrength
October 1, 2025 at 11:59 AM
🚨 The gov shutdown is costing taxpayers $400M/day, killing jobs, stalling NIH/NSF innovation, & letting China gain on us. 🇺🇸 needs action, not gridlock! 🙏Thank you, federal workers, for your service. Let’s end this now! #MAGA #GovernmentShutdown #AmericanStrength
🎉 Exciting news! Nearly half of Pitt Bioengineering UP NExT PhD trainees earned NIH F31 Fellowships this year—showing the strength of our neural engineering training. #UPNExT #NIHF31 #NeuralEngineering
news.engineering.pitt.edu/four-bioengi...
news.engineering.pitt.edu/four-bioengi...
Four Bioengineering PhD Students receive NIH F31 Fellowships
Four Bioengineering PhD students at the Swanson School of Engineering will receive funding toward their studies in 2025, thanks to prestigious awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Pred...
news.engineering.pitt.edu
September 26, 2025 at 11:04 PM
🎉 Exciting news! Nearly half of Pitt Bioengineering UP NExT PhD trainees earned NIH F31 Fellowships this year—showing the strength of our neural engineering training. #UPNExT #NIHF31 #NeuralEngineering
news.engineering.pitt.edu/four-bioengi...
news.engineering.pitt.edu/four-bioengi...
Reposted by TK (Takashi DY) Kozai
Please share with anyone who cares about NSF support for graduate students and take 30 seconds to sign and leave a comment.
The deadline for the 2025 Graduate Research Fellowship Program is about one month away and literally no one can apply. #NSFGRFP
jasonjwilliamsny.github.io/grfp2025/
The deadline for the 2025 Graduate Research Fellowship Program is about one month away and literally no one can apply. #NSFGRFP
jasonjwilliamsny.github.io/grfp2025/
An Open Letter to U.S. STEM Leadership on the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
An Open Letter to U.S. STEM Leadership on the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
jasonjwilliamsny.github.io
September 25, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Please share with anyone who cares about NSF support for graduate students and take 30 seconds to sign and leave a comment.
The deadline for the 2025 Graduate Research Fellowship Program is about one month away and literally no one can apply. #NSFGRFP
jasonjwilliamsny.github.io/grfp2025/
The deadline for the 2025 Graduate Research Fellowship Program is about one month away and literally no one can apply. #NSFGRFP
jasonjwilliamsny.github.io/grfp2025/
Trump praises COVID & polio vaccines as "amazing," calls Florida's move to end student vaccine mandates a "tough stance." Urges caution on skipping shots that "pure and simple work." #Vaccines #Florida #PublicHealth
www.foxnews.com/politics/tru...
www.foxnews.com/politics/tru...
Trump calls Florida's move to eliminate vaccine mandates a 'tough stance': 'You have vaccines that work'
President Donald Trump called some vaccines "amazing" while calling Florida's decision to move toward eliminating all state vaccine mandates for students a "tough stance."
www.foxnews.com
September 6, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Trump praises COVID & polio vaccines as "amazing," calls Florida's move to end student vaccine mandates a "tough stance." Urges caution on skipping shots that "pure and simple work." #Vaccines #Florida #PublicHealth
www.foxnews.com/politics/tru...
www.foxnews.com/politics/tru...