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Invest Qatar and Brain Co, a Silicon Valley-based applied artificial intelligence (AI) company, on Sunday announced a partnership to accelerate AI adoption, advance digital transformation and strengthen Qatar's position as a regional hub for technology and innovation. The partnership establishes a framework for Invest Qatar and Brain Co to jointly identify, develop and support AI adoption initiatives and pilot programmes with public and private sector stakeholders in Qatar.Aligned with the objectives of Qatar's Third National Development Strategy (NDS3) and the country's National AI Strategy, the collaboration will focus on translating AI opportunities into practical applications that address sector-specific priorities and support Qatar's digital transformation ambitions.As part of the collaboration, Invest Qatar will support Brain Co in expanding its footprint in the country and the wider region by facilitating connections with relevant government and private sector stakeholders, identifying opportunities for collaboration and supporting the company's engagement with Qatar's growing technology and innovation ecosystem.HE Chief Executive Officer, Invest Qatar, Sheikh Ali bin Alwaleed Al-Thani, said: "This partnership reflects Qatar's commitment to harnessing advanced technologies to drive innovation and create new opportunities for sustainable economic growth. The collaboration with Brain Co will also contribute to developing local talent and capabilities, supporting a future-ready workforce equipped to thrive in an increasingly AI-driven global economy."President of Qatar Business for Brain Co, Omid Raghimi, emphasised on the importance of this collaboration with Invest Qatar. He also added: "Our recent successes in Qatar from delivering the world's first AI-powered building permit system with the Ministry of Municipality and energy sector to our growing focus in the healthcare environment, demonstrate what applied AI can achieve when built hand in hand with the country's institutions. We are dedicated to help the Government of Qatar solve its most challenging problems and bottlenecks to unlock NDS3 milestones, focusing on the critical verticals of healthcare, energy, financial services & regulatory section. Our mission is simple in Qatar: to build AI products that deliver immediate impact in everyday life, solving the major problems that government organisations and people face and making life in Qatar tangibly better."A key focus of the partnership will be talent development and upskilling. Invest Qatar and Brain Co will collaborate on training, knowledge transfer and capacity-building initiatives in AI and related technologies, helping to strengthen local capabilities and develop the expertise required to support the continued growth of Qatar's digital and technology sectors.The partnership builds on Brain Co's growing engagement in Qatar. Earlier this year, during Web Summit Qatar 2026, the company announced plans to establish a flagship office in Doha, marking an important milestone in its regional expansion. The Doha office will leverage Brain Co's AI expertise and institutional partnerships to support Qatar's ambition to become a global hub for technology and innovation. 

Neuroinflammation is linked to a host of detrimental brain disorders, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. A collaborative research team from Houston Methodist and Rice University has developed a way to fight back with a tiny, bioengineered system to deliver anti-inflammatory proteins to specific targets in the brain. The study, recently published in Biomaterials, was led by Robert Krencik, an associate professor in the Center for Neuroregeneration and Department of Neurosurgery at the Houston Methodist Research Institute. The paper reveals the creation of AstroCapsules, a revolutionary union of bioengineering and neuroscience that encloses human astrocytes (star-shaped, resident brain cells that are crucial to healthy function of the central nervous system) within small biocompatible hydrogel capsules. The researchers found that when astrocytes within the capsules were armed with a secreted anti-inflammatory protein (interleukin-1 receptor antagonist or IL-1Ra), they could significantly reduce neuroinflammation (measured through inflammatory biomarkers). "This system solves several current problems with cell-based therapeutics to the nervous system," Krencik said. "Because the capsules will form a physical barrier between the implanted astrocytes and brain tissue, cells are expected to locally secrete anti-inflammatory proteins while avoiding immune rejection and unwanted migration throughout the brain. This will increase the stability of the treatment while reducing side effects."