Injecting Reality
The news that Stimwave founder Laura Perryman was indicted [see article, p3] makes us sad for a number of reasons. First, whether or not the government’s allegations are borne out, it casts a negative spell on the neuromodulation industry—and the PNS market segment in particular—at a time when the industry is already reeling from journal articles casting doubt on neuromodulation’s efficacy and from negative coverage decisions from some private insurers.
Dutch Team Demonstrates Improved Graphene Electrodes
Neurotechnology researchers have made significant strides in understanding the workings of the brain, but there is still much to learn and to integrate. As patients and clinicians live in a world with changing needs and moving parts, focusing on only one technique or one type of technology has limits. The usefulness of implants has been limited : a person with an implant may be able to communicate, move, or sense far more easily than they could without the implant.
Novel Technologies Emerge to Penetrate Blood-Brain Barrier
and James Cavuoto, editor February 2023 issue, BioElectRx Business Report One of the fundamental challenges impacting the pharmaceutical industry’s growth in the CNS market is the difficulty in getting drugs to penetrate the blood-brain barrier. Two early-stage firms, Cerebral Therapeutics and Kurve Therapeutics, are pursuing novel technologies to circumvent this limitation. Kurve’s controlled particle dispersion technology exploits the nasal cavities at alternative drug delivery mechanism.
BCI Madness
While much of the world is currently focused on World Cup matches and a few months before Americans become enmeshed in NCAA Basketball, the neurotechnology industry seems to be fascinated with the fierce competition among firms developing brain-computer interfaces. Much of the current media frenzy on this subject no doubt stems from the role Elon Musk’s Neuralink startup is playing, given the current attention he has drawn from his antics while taking over Twitter.
Saving Our Nose and Our Face
Anyone who’s been watching news coverage of the Alex Murdaugh murder trial in South Carolina is grisly details in that case. But regardless of the eventual outcome and regardless of what one might think about the defendant’s character, it’s hard not to be moved addiction has taken on his life, and his family members. If nothing else, the case highlights the inescapable fact that addiction can afflict wealthy, upper-class people as well as those in urban, low-income environments.
2022 in Review
As years go, 2022 was not as lucrative for the neurotechnology industry as some prior years, including 2021. Investor concern about the general state of the economy certainly had an impact on funding activity. But there were still some noteworthy investments in the neurotech space, including a $104 million round for Nalu Medical and a $77 million round for Cala Health. And although the size of earl…
Bioelectronic Medicine Players Present at Biotech Showcase
The year 2023 started with a bang, as thousands of healthcare industry professionals descended on San Francisco for the annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference. A number of other healthcare industry conferences take place during the same time, including the Sachs Neuroscience Investment Forum and the Biotech Showcase. Traditionally, these January meetings in San Francisco focus on pharmaceutical investment opportunities, but a relatively new focus on medical devices and neuromodulation has emerged.
Neuromodulation Industry Returns to Vegas for NANS 2023
About 3000 clinicians, researchers, neural engineers, and neuromodulation industry professionals returned to Las Vegas for the 2023 meeting of the North American Neuromodulation Society. Most attendees welcomed the venue change, after a brief stint in Orlando, FL in 2021 and 2022. At the meeting, Ali Rezai, associate dean of neuroscience at West Virginia University and executive chair and director of the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from NANS.
Neurosensing Firms Seek to Advance Epilepsy Treatment
The market for treating epilepsy with neurostimulation devices is one of the most secure segments of the neuromodulation industry, with several vendors offering FDA-approved implanted systems. But recent advances in neurosensing technology promise to boost revenues for neurotech firms offering neurodiagnostic products. Recently, two commercial firms reported progress. Mint Neurotechnologies Ltd., a spinout from Imperial College in the U.K.
Neurotech Entrepreneurs Make Presentations at Bioelectronic Medicine Forum
Founders and executives from several neurotechnology firms made presentations at the 2022 Bioelectronic Medicine Forum in New York City earlier this month. The neurotech professionals joined representatives of other fields of medtech, investors, and clinicians. The conference featured a panel discussion with venture capital investors and a session devoted to new technologies in bioelectronic medicine.