Patrick Purdon, PhD

My laboratory at Stanford University School of Medicine studies the neural mechanisms of anesthesia and develops signal-processing methods for functional neuroimaging and neuroscience. Historically, anesthesiology has sought a single mechanism for anesthetic-induced unconsciousness. Our work instead shows that different anesthetic drugs create distinct states of unconsciousness by inducing characteristic neurophysiologic oscillations that disrupt normal brain function. Using human intracranial recordings and computational modeling, we have linked EEG oscillations under anesthesia to neuronal spiking and local field potentials, enabling inference of brain circuit states from clinically accessible EEG signals. I have filed 18 patents related to monitoring and controlling consciousness during anesthesia and sleep and am actively pursuing commercialization. As a co-founder and non-executive advisor of Blue River Bio, I help guide the translation of our discoveries into practical tools for patient care. I work closely with the scientific team to shape the company’s research and development strategy, define scientifically rigorous biomarker and monitoring approaches, and foster partnerships that support clinical validation and deployment. I am actively engaged in ensuring that Blue River Bio’s technologies are grounded in robust neuroscience, aligned with patient safety, and positioned to improve the monitoring and management of consciousness and pain in real-world clinical settings.