When Light Leaves the Lab: A Breakthrough for Depression Treatment

This piece was written with Francesca Giovanetti.

Scientists often dive into research driven by two magic ingredients: caffeine and curiosity.

Caffeine keeps us awake, and curiosity motivates us to solve complex questions and to push the boundaries of human knowledge. Locked away in labs, scientists work tirelessly to test hypotheses in all different areas of science. Unfortunately, many discoveries feel like they stay confined to publications, adding lines to a CV or increasing a citation index, rarely making it beyond the lab door.

But what if that research didn't stay locked behind a door? What if, instead of collecting citations in a prestigious journal, it could always become something that could transform people's lives?

When I was a kid, my biggest dream was to drive a garbage truck. Life had other plans, and today I’m a neuroscientist at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA). My research focuses on brain plasticity - the amazing process behind how neurons form and reshape their connections.

While studying this, I tested a drug called ketamine, which is used in psychiatry to treat patients with depression who don't respond to traditional therapies. What I discovered was surprising: ketamine activates a special group of brain cells called microglia.

We can think of microglia as the gardeners of the brain, tending to and shaping the network of neuronal connections that make learning and healing possible. Ketamine instructs microglia to open up a protective layer around neurons called perineuronal nets (PNNs). These nets can make it harder for the brain to form new connections. In adults treated with ketamine, microglia physically create openings in the PNNs, allowing new neuronal connections to grow, much like what occurs during early brain development. For the first time, using an FDA-approved medication, we were able to rejuvenate the adult brain and restore its youthful plasticity. 

This already sounds like the end of this story, but it's only the beginning. 

In order to restructure the PNN, ketamine has to be administered multiple times and at high doses, making it impossible to use it in the real world due to the severe side effects (such as disorientation, confusion and loss of motor coordination). So, I had to take a step back and ask a new question — how exactly does ketamine tell microglia to remodel the PNN and boost brain plasticity?

If you open a pharmacology textbook, you’ll find the classic explanation: a drug works by binding to a receptor, like a key fitting into a lock. That’s true, but the brain isn’t just a chemical system. It’s also an electrical one. It communicates using pulses of electricity, like signals sent along a wire. So, I started to wonder: what if ketamine isn’t just unlocking a receptor? What if it’s sending a message, like a kind of Morse code, that microglia can read and respond to? By recording brain activity with electrodes, I was able to capture the unique electrical “signature” of ketamine.

Image by Syntropic Medical GmbH

Specifically, when ketamine is given, neurons respond by producing rhythmic waves of activity at around 60 Hz. I wondered if I could copy that same brain rhythm without using the drug. I exposed mice to 60 Hz ON-OFF pulsed light and, to my great surprise, I observed that I was able to fully replicate the effect that I described with ketamine. In short, I mimicked ketamine’s impact on brain plasticity using only pulsed light. We now have a very simple tool that, without all the issues associated with drug side effects, can be used for the treatment of depression in patients. Something that, instead of suppressing disease symptoms, can address the root issue of the problem: impaired neuroplasticity. This opens the way for faster, long-lasting relief without the onset delays or tolerability typical of pharmacological treatments. 

This was the scary part: the moment we had to think big. It was time to move beyond the lab and into the real world. The science was there, but to turn it into something that could help patients, we needed more than data. We needed a company. Only a startup, in fact, can raise the capital, build a medical device prototype, and navigate the complex path from lab to clinic. Ideas alone don’t spark revolutions, but people do. A revolutionary startup needs more than just a great concept; it needs a team with a bold vision, real grit, and the drive to build something that matters.

With that mindset, I teamed up with Mark Caffrey, Jack O’Keeffe, and Sandra Siegert to create Syntropic Medical. In just a few months, we secured top-tier funding through grants and venture capital, brought together a spectacular team of scientists and engineers, and developed our first medical device prototypes. 

At an incredible pace, in just a few months, the team completed all the preclinical safety testing and demonstrated that the light stimulation technology fully translates to humans, promoting the onset of neuronal plasticity safely in healthy volunteers. This effect could be achieved using a simple pair of wearable goggles, designed to deliver the light stimulus directly to the peripheral vision.

Syntropic is now testing the safety and effectiveness of its technology in patients with major depressive disorder through two distinct clinical trials: one at the University Hospital of São Paulo in Brazil, and another at NYU Langone Hospital in New York.

This article isn’t just the story of a good idea finding its way into the real world; it’s also a call to rethink how we treat depression. Current therapies rely heavily on medication, but too often, they fall short. According to the World Health Organization, more than 280 million people worldwide suffer from depression. Of those, over 40% relapse, 30% see no benefit from their treatment, and 25% abandon treatment due to unbearable side effects. These numbers highlight a critical need: we must develop new therapies that are faster, more effective, and easier to stick with. Maybe our idea is the right one, or maybe it isn’t. Maybe it will change millions of lives, or maybe it will pave the way for someone else’s breakthrough. But what matters most is that we try. That we dare to bring a revolutionary spark of light and hope to the lives of patients.