Neurotechnology on Display at 2017 South by Southwest Conference in Austin
The South (SXSW) became popular as a music festival but has morphed into a pop culture mecca featuring film, technology, and health. It is known for attracting early adopters to the scene and technology companies know this. It was on the SXSW stage that the likes of Wikipedia, Instagram, and Google+ were launched. Fast forward to 2017: neurotechnology and brain science are coming of age. At this year’s event, more than a dozen sessions featured technology and the brain or human interfaces.
Paying the Piper
By now, nearly everyone is aware of the enormous toll the opioid epidemic has taken on our society. What’s not generally known, and needs to be investigated, is who is responsible for the overdose deaths, addiction, and crime that resulted when addicts realized that heroin is a cheaper alternative to the prescription drugs they were given. We should certainly start with the pharmaceutical vendors who put profit above overall health and safety.
Neurotech Researchers Join with Clinicians and Executives at 2017 NANS Meeting
Nearly 3,000 clinicians, neural engineers, and neurotech researchers attended the 20th Annual Meeting of the North American Neuromodulation Society, held in Las Vegas, NV earlier this month. The meeting moved to January from its previous time slot in December to accommodate physicians’ busy schedule at the end of the year. As in previous years, the meeting started with a forum devoted to invention,…
Neurotech Leaders Forum Participants Discuss New Funding Opportunities
About 100 neurotechnology industry executives, entrepreneurs, and investors attended the 2016 Neurotech Leaders Forum, held in San Francisco, CA earlier this month. The two day-event, now in its 16th year, was produced , the publisher of this newsletter. Doug Weber from DARPA’s Biological Technologies Office delivered the keynote address on day one. The programs he manages are focused on replacing, healing, and enhancing physiology through neurotechnology.
Building Better Brains
When internet entrepreneur Bryan Johnson launched Kernel last year, he decided on a different approach from other neurotech firms. Rather than target a specific device for a specific disease, the company is more interested in building a broad technology platform that may prove useful in a number of applications down the road. “A multi-product approach staged over multiple years optimizes for expertise accumulation and technological and scientific breakthroughs,” Johnson said.
New Mechanisms Propel DBS for Movement Disorders
Advances in our understanding of the neural mechanisms involved with movement disorders—and in normal movement—promise to enhance DBS therapies for neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, essential termor, dystonia, and Tourette’s syndrome. In the initial stage of PD, patients’ movements are stiff and slow. This can be remedied with the drug L-dopa, but after a few years of treatment, patients usually develop uncontrolled jerking motions known as dyskinesias.
Ethics and DBS
Research institutions and commercial firms pursuing new deep brain stimulation therapies for neuropsychiatric disorders have faced a number of hurdles, including clinical trial design, regulatory approval, device development, and obtaining funding. At least one more set of challenges awaits them, and that is ethical concerns raised by clinicians, advocacy groups, and the general public. In a recent…
2016 in Review
As 2016 comes to a close, it’s worth reflecting on some of the key events in the neurotechnology industry during the year. In most respects, 2016 continued the string of positive financial and funding developments from the previous two years. Probably the biggest financial story of the year was Abbott’s purchase of St. Jude Medical for $25 billion. When that deal becomes final next year, the compet…
Neurotech Reports Names Winners of 2016 Gold Electrode Awards
Neurotech Reports, the publisher of this newsletter, announced the winners of the 2016 Gold Electrode Awards. The awards were presented at the 2016 Neurotech Leaders Forum in San Francisco. The award for best new product went to St. Jude Medical Inc. for the Infinity DBS system. The award for most promising startup went to NeuSpera Medical Inc. The award for most useful financial professional went to Yossi Gross from Rainbow Medical.
Expanding DBS
Deep-brain stimulation has proven to be one of the most successful technologies for treating neurological diseases and disorders. As we report on page 1 of this issue, there are several efforts underway to develop alternatives to DBS that would minimize surgical risks or eliminate the implantation process required for today’s devices. This goal is laudable, in our view, but it should not interfere…