A project to create an implant that will reduce appetite in obese patients has received a new Synergy grant from the European Research Council.

The project at Imperial is one of two for the College and only 11 across the entire European Union to receive this funding.

Professor Sir Stephen Bloom (Medicine) and Professor Chris Toumazou (Bioengineering) have been awarded over €7,000,000 for their project, called ‘Intelligent implantable modulator of Vagus nerve function for treatment of obesity’ (i2MOVE).

Currently there are no treatments for obesity and some of the best methods of coping involve invasive surgery, such as a gastric bypass or fitting a gastric band.

This implant aims to detect signals in the nerves and instruct the brain and the gut that it is full. Obesity is a growing health concern in countries across the world and this project aims to tackle the disease more effectively than ever before.