The Sunder Foundation at N20 in Bali

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Launched nine years ago, Neuroscience20 (N20) educates global leaders and Group of Twenty (G20) leaders about the cost of neurological, spine, and mental disorders. Neurological disorders significantly impact the world’s economy due to their often chronic and life-threatening nature, creating a global disease burden. G20 member nations, representing the most significant economies globally, are invited to come together to formulate a plan to overcome this burden. The N20 – an initiative of the Society for Brain Mapping and Therapeutics (SBMT) – is at the forefront of this worldwide collaboration to comprehensively raise awareness about brain, spine, and mental disorders.

“We studied the cost of neuro-psychiatric and spine disorders to the world economy, and it took us almost a year to compile the data. We discovered a total cost of over $16T annually to the world economy and $1.5T to the US economy. We published these findings in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease,” shares Dr. Vicky Yamamoto, co-author of the paper, 20^th President of SBMT and Cancer scientist at USC-Keck School of Medicine and USC-Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.

This year’s N20 scientific and policy program includes speakers from across Indonesia and other G20 countries, as well as five keynotes: Drs. Ali Gufran Mukti, Robert Hariri, Vicky Yamamoto, Keerthy Sunder, and Jose Edgardo Valerio Pascua. The summit covers neurotech innovation in cellular therapeutics/immunotherapy; nanomedicine/nanoneurosurgery; AI machine learning; diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive modeling; neurotrauma; the Cancer Moonshot Initiative; suicide prevention; opioid addiction; epilepsy; radiosurgery; pain management; COVID-19 brain; rehabilitation; neurodegenerative disorders; neurovascular disorders; neuro-psychiatric disorders; and spine disorders.

“We are truly honored to bring such a world-class scientific and global policy think tank to Indonesia. We urge Indonesian and Indian (2023 presidency of G20) sherpas to include the expansion of N20 – as well as addressing the cost of neuro-psychiatric disorders to the world economy – in the communique of the G20 as a whole,” says Dr. Asra Al-Fauzi, Professor of Neurosurgery, Chief of Neurovascular and Neuro-endovascular Therapy Center, Airlangga University and President of N20 Indonesia.

US, European, Middle East and Balkans (ME+), Latin American (LA), and Asia Pacific (AP) Brain Initiatives will also be represented. In addition, the program will include a panel on the Global Medical Donor Summit for Ukraine as a part of the humanitarian mission of SBMT.

“Through Neuroscience20, SBMT offers an open platform for international cooperation and partnership across G20 nations, which comprise the largest economies in the world. We are responding to our discovery of a lack of effective collaboration between nations and a lack of resources in developing countries. Current statistical analyses on the cost of neurological disorders to the world economy strongly suggest a great need for investment in neurotechnology and innovation or fast-tracking therapeutics and diagnostics to curb these costs. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, SBMT – through this summit and our publications – intends to showcase the importance of worldwide collaboration to reduce the population’s economic and health burden, specifically regarding neurological/brain, spine, and mental disorders,” explains Dr. Babak Kateb, Chairman of SBMT, President of the World Brain Mapping Foundation (WBMF), Director of the National Center for NanoBioElectronics, and Director of Brain Technology and Innovation (BTIP).

This program is made possible by the generous contributions of:

• World Brain Mapping Foundation (WBMF)
• Sunder Foundation
• Society for Brain Mapping and Therapeutics (SBMT)
• Celularity
• Universitas Airlangga
• Üsküdar University
• RSUD Dr. SOETOMO
• Intelligent Quantitative Biomedical Imaging (IQBMI)
• National Brain Mapping Lab (NBML)
• Brain and Skull Egyptian Society

About SBMT: www.WorldBrainMapping.Org

Contact information:

Director of Public Relations at SBMT

Jessca Kopach

jessi@p2rinc.com

Phone: 805-570-2599