UNC Health has become the first hospital in the state of North Carolina to offer Omniscient Neurotechnology’s Quicktome, an FDA-cleared precision brain mapping platform designed to visualize a patient’s unique brain networks prior to life-changing surgery. The first surgery was performed by neurosurgical oncologist Dr. Dominique Higgins.

Dr. Higgins’s clinical and research interests focus on the treatment of brain tumors, including glioblastoma. This technology, which uses machine learning to process millions of data points derived from a standard MRI scan, makes crucial brain insights accessible and actionable for surgeons like Dr. Higgins.

Dr. Higgins specializes in eloquent surgery, or surgeries that are performed around crucial networks of the brain that control vital functions, such as speech and movement. Surgeons that operate in these regions of the brain complete extensive training. “We are now able to push the limits of brain mapping during surgery and improve the safety of brain tumor surgery,” said Dr. Higgins.

The technology leverages connectomics, the study of the brain’s connections and functional networks. It is the first clinical platform to allow neurosurgeons to create network templates of an individual’s cognitive and emotional regulation networks within the brain. Literature shows that damage to these brain networks during surgery can cause a variety of neurological problems, ranging from depression to dramatic changes in personality, severely impacting a patient’s quality of life. “By incorporating newer technologies into our brain tumor resections, we hope to go beyond testing basic neurologic functions like speech and movement, and  preserve higher executive functions and personality.”

Dr. Dominique Higgins is a neurosurgical oncologist and assistant professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at UNC Health. He specializes in the treatment of brain tumors. He completed his PhD thesis on glioblastoma stem cells and went on to complete his neurosurgery training at Columbia University’s Neurological Institute of New York. He also completed a brain tumor fellowship at the University of Miami with an emphasis on minimally invasive open and endoscopic surgical treatments for brain tumors. His research focus is the treatment of malignant brain tumors, including glioblastoma.

About Omniscient Neurotechnology
Omniscient Neurotechnology (o8t™) builds personalized brain maps to diagnose, treat, and prevent health conditions. It operates on the core belief that a better understanding of an individual’s brain will lead to better outcomes for billions of people. Omniscient is a pioneer in connectomics, and is poised to change the future of neuroscience. Already used by neurosurgeons to visualize the brain’s pathways prior to a procedure, the company’s technology ultimately aims to transform brain health and address conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and depression.