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2 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 11 JANUARY 2026 NEWS Maltese AI innovation to help patients manage pain seeks global recognition It's been seven years in the making but Morpheus is now aiming for real-world application as a pain management tool. Matthew Farrugia speaks to Alexiei Dingli on the long road from academia to global recognition for this Maltese invention SOME of the most powerful breakthroughs in medicine don't happen in operating the- atres or research labs, they be- gin as ideas. Project Morpheus, the Uni- versity of Malta's flagship in- novation in pain management, is one such case. Born from ob- servation during a visit to the heart of Silicon Valley, it has grown into an internationally recognised therapeutic plat- form, now seeking full medical certification, patent protec- tion, and global adoption. It was during a visit to Stan- ford University, in the centre of California's tech-rich Sili- con Valley, that Alexiei Dingli, an AI professor, encountered a basic virtual reality system being used with burn patients undergoing treatment. The idea was promising. It used distraction to reduce pain, but Dingli saw its limits. The sys- tem was static, non-responsive, and not tailored to the patient's emotional state. He returned to Malta with one question: What if artificial intelligence could be used to adapt the experience in real time, based on the pa- tient's current state? That question became the starting point for Project Morpheus, which officially launched in 2018. The first academic work on the con- cept was a PhD thesis funded by the Vodafone Foundation, marking the beginning of what would become a multi-year, multi-phase development ef- fort. But unlike many academic projects that remain theoreti- cal, Morpheus set its sights on clinical impact from the start, aiming to create a product that could not only work in hospi- tals but be safe, effective, and certified for real-world use. The science behind Mor- pheus is rooted in the Gate Control Theory of Pain, which suggests that perception of pain can be altered by emo- tional and cognitive factors. By using a VR headset paired with a smartwatch, Morpheus im- merses the patient in a fictional world and, more importantly, tracks physiological signs such as heart rate, adjusting the vir- tual environment accordingly. If the patient shows signs of distress, the system calms the scene. If the patient appears disengaged, the stimulation is increased. This real-time feed- back loop, driven by affective computing algorithms, sets Morpheus apart from passive distraction tools. Yet technological brilliance alone doesn't bring a prod- uct to market. Over the years, Morpheus secured support from a series of different fund- ing streams, reflecting its grow- ing promise and public value. Subsequent development was supported by Xjenza Malta, the national platform promoting science and innovation, and programmes such as the Fu- sion R&I Technology Develop- ment Programme LITE. This consistent support enabled the project to evolve, progressing from a laboratory prototype to a clinical tool. A major milestone in that transformation was the filing of a formal patent application, which protects the unique inte- gration of biofeedback, AI, and immersive design that Mor- pheus uses to create an adap- tive therapeutic system. The patent not only secures the intellectual property but also signals the project's readiness for licensing, investment, and scaled deployment. Meanwhile, there is an ongoing application for Class I Medical Device Reg- istration under European Un- ion regulations, a requirement for any tool used in clinical settings. Once approved, Mor- pheus will be authorised for use in hospitals and clinics across the EU, a critical step towards real-world adoption. Over the last two years, Morpheus has gained increasing international recognition. In 2024, it was fea- tured on a panel at MedTech Malta, where it introduced its human-centred innovation to a regional audience. In 2025, it returned to MedTech's Start- Up Village, showcasing a fully operational version to health- tech investors, clinicians, and regulators. Its global academ- ic credentials were cement- ed by its participation in two leading conferences in Japan. Both presentations showed the technical underpinnings and clinical findings, placing Mal- ta's contribution firmly on the global stage. Later this year, the team is scheduled to appear at the World Health Expo in Dubai, participating in workshops and strategic discussions aimed at fsecuring unding, partnerships, and international rollout. "Morpheus doesn't aim to re- place doctors or drugs, but to support them, offering children a chance to escape, to focus on something other than pain, and to feel a sense of control in a setting where control is often lost," Dingli told MaltaToday. The device's journey from an idea sparked at Stanford to a product preparing for Europe- an medical certification shows how a small country like Malta can shape the future of health- care. "The long road from ac- ademia to global recognition is never easy," Dingli said. But with Morpheus, he believes Malta is proving that "it's not only possible, but worth every step". Project Morpheus, the University of Malta's flagship innovation in pain management AI professor, Alexiei Dingli