Optoacoustic Neuromodulation Offers a New Modality
In recent years, neural engineering researchers have developed novel methods of neuromodulation that exploit optical or optogenetic forms of stimulation, while other have pursued ultrasound approaches. A team at Boston University is now exploring optoacoustic technology as a new neuromodulation modality in an effort to combine the best attributes of both technologies. The optoacoustic process involves pulses of light that are converted into acoustic waves at ultrasonic frequencies.
Spreading the News
The market for spinal cord stimulation systems treating chronic back and leg pain has advanced dramatically over the last 20 years. In the beginning the market was dominated , Medtronic, offering one basic form of therapy, tonic dorsal column stimulation. Since that time, not only have new competitors entered the market, but a steady stream of new paradigms has emerged, including DRG stimulation, h…
Vendors offer new approaches to treating pelvic disorders
The market for treating bowel and bladder disorders with bioelectronic medicine therapies has become more crowded in recent months as new vendors have entered the space and existing competitors have expanded their product offerings. The primary indication vendors are targeting is overactive bladder, though there are also applications in treating fecal incontinence and other forms of urinary incontinence.
Research teams explore ultrasound for autonomic stim
Ultrasound has recently emerged as a viable method of stimulating autonomic nerves. Currently. Two major medtech manufacturers—GE Research and Medtronic—are testing the waters, as are several academic research groups. Ultrasound’s advantages are readily apparent. It avoids a risky surgical procedure for implanting stimulating electrodes on delicate autonomic nerves and instead can deliver energy wirelessly from the skin surface.
H Follows D
Xavier Becerra, the former congressman from California, took over as Secretary of Health and Human Services just a few weeks ago and has already found himself in the throes of controversy when President Biden announced the ARPA-H program [see article, p1]. While it is currently envisioned that ARPA-H will be housed within NIH because of its strong alignment with the NIH mission and because of NIH’s…
Neuroscientists and Neural Engineers Take Part in 2022 AAAS Annual Meeting
Neuroscientists from across the globe participated in the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science earlier this month. The meeting was conducted entirely online because of the coronavirus pandemic. A session devoted to decoding brain signals was moderated National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Helen Bronte-Stewart from Stanford University gave a presentation on the subject of neural controllers for closed-loop neurostimulation in Parkinson’s disease.
BIO CEO & Investor Conference features incubator panel
The 2022 BIO CEO & Investor Conference, held earlier this month in New York City and via remote video conference, featured several sessions of interested to entrepreneurs and emerging firms in the healthcare industry. One particularly noteworthy panel was devoted to the role that incubators can play in the commercialization process. The session was moderated , the CEO of Xontogeny, a life sciences accelerator in Boston, MA.
Key Entrepreneurs to Present at 2022 Bioelectronic Medicine Forum
Neurotech Reports, the publisher of the Neurotech Business Report and BioElectRx Business Report newsletters, announced that founders and CEOs of several promising bioelectronic medicine startups will present at the Fifth Annual Bioelectric Medicine Forum on April 5, 2022. The event will take place in New York City, although participation via Zoom videoconference will be accomodated. Presenters inc…
Oxford Team Locates New DBS Target for Brain Disorder
A team of researchers at the University of Oxford in the U.K. has identified a novel target for treating movement disorders. The investigators, including Alex Green, an associate professor of neurosurgery, and Tim Denison, a professor of engineering science, used Bioinduction Ltd.’s Picostim DBS system to stimulate the pedunculopontine nucleus in Parkinson’s-like multiple systems atrophy. The team has begun a feasibility trial called MINDS with five subjects with MSA receiving closed-loop DBS of the PPN.
Sleep apnea market attracts new BioElectRx competitors
The market for treating obstructive sleep apnea represents one of the most lucrative opportunities for vendors of bioelectronic medicine. The early market leader, Inspire Medical, has experienced rapid growth after a very successful IPO. But two other public firms with regulatory approval in Europe are planning to take market share from them once they obtain FDA approval, and a host of startups are getting ready to offer new therapies to clinicians and patients.