UCSF Researchers See OFC as New Depression Target
In the years following two failed clinical trials of deep brain stimulation for treatment-resistant depression, neural engineers and psychiatrists have sought to hone in on an appropriate stimulation target for the neuromodulation therapy. Medtronic’s trial targeted the ventral capsule/ventral striatum, while St. Jude Medical’s BROADEN trial targeted Cg25 in the subcallosal cingulate white matter.
Medtronic Co-founder Earl Bakken Passes Away at Age 94
Medtronic plc, the Minneapolis, MN manufacturer of neuromodulation systems, announced that its co-founder, Earl Bakken, passed away peacefully on October 21, 2018 at his home on Kiholo Bay on the Big Island of Hawaii. He was 94 years old. “Today we are saddened Bakken, but we also honor and will forever cherish the life of a beloved man whose brilliance and vision have improved the lives of millions of people around the world,” said Omar Ishrak, Medtronic chairman and CEO.
Ending the Sham
At first glance, Mainstay Medical’s announcement that its Reactiv8 B study for back pain failed to meet its primary endpoint [see article, p5] seems all too familiar. A promising neurotech startup with a novel therapy achieves good results in preliminary trials, raises significant funds from investors, goes public, then crashes and burns after a failed pivotal trial. As was the case with Northstar…
Neurotech Reports Announces Winners of Gold Electrode Awards
Neurotech Reports, the publisher of this newsletter, announced the winners of the 2018 Gold Electrode Awards. The awards were presented at the 2018 Neurotech Leaders Forum in San Francisco earlier this month. The award for best new product went to Boston Scientific for its Spectra WaveWriter SCS system. The award for most promising startup went to Tivic Health. The award for most valuable financial professional went to Doug Clinton of Loup Ventures.
Industry Professionals Come to San Francisco for 18th Neurotech Leaders Forum
About 120 management, investment, and research professionals from the neurotechnology industry came to San Francisco for the 18th annual Neurotech Leaders Forum earlier this month. Two keynote speakers set the tone on each day of the event. Frank Fischer, CEO of Neuropace, shared his experience bringing an implanted closed-loop system from the lab to market. “The brain is a beautiful, complex, and extraordinary system,” he said.
New Therapies Emerge for Treating GI Disorders
The emerging market for bioelectronic medicine is being driven in large part cardiovascular, circulatory, and inflammatory disorders. But recently, there have been key developments in the market segment for gastrointestinal disorders. More than 60 million people in the U.S. suffer from disorders in the gastrointestinal tract that could be cured , but scientists don’t fully understand the therapy’s effects on a critical organ: the stomach.
Shifting Sands in Regulation
Attendees at this year’s Neurotech Leaders Forum observed a number of informative sessions that dealt with the changing landscape of the neurotechnology industry [see p7]. Although the industry still faces some challenges, there was general consensus that getting new neurotech products to market has become smoother in recent years. In a session devoted to the regulatory climate in the U.S. and abro…
Epidural Stimulation for SCI Shows Contintued Progress
Research institutions and commercial firms pursuing epidural stimulation as part of a new therapeutic approach for treating spinal cord injury have continued to show progress. In recent weeks, investigators at three institutions in the U.S. published findings that broke new ground. Earlier this month, a team of researchers from the Mayo Clinic and UCLA published results in Nature Medicine showing that neuromodulation of lumbosacral spinal networks enabled independent stepping after complete paraplegia.
Hunter Peckham to Keynote 2018 Neurotech Leaders Forum in SF
Neurotech Reports, the publisher of the Neurotech Business Report, newsletter, announced that Hunter Peckham, a pioneer in the field of neuroprosthetics and founder of the Institute for Functional Restoration at Case Western Reserve University, will keynote the 18th annual Neurotech Leaders Forum. The event will take place October 15-16 in San Francisco, CA. Peckham is a Distinguished University Professor and Donnell Institute Professor of Biomedical Engineering at CWRU.
One Small Step for Paralysis…
The ongoing struggle to develop new therapies to treat spinal cord injury and other forms of paralysis took a significant step forward this month. As we report in our article on page 1 of this issue, investigators at three U.S. institutions—Mayo Clinic, UCLA, and University of Louisville—published encouraging findings supporting the viability of epidural stimulation as a key therapeutic component for treating SCI.