Device Vendors Take Stage at North American Neuromodulation Society Meeting
Neuromodulation industry professionals joined with clinicians, researchers, and neural engineers at the 2014 meeting of the North American Neuromodulation Society, held in Las Vegas, NV earlier this month. Attendance exceeded 2000 at the rapidly growing meeting. NANS sponsored a day-long commercialization session called Invention, Investment, and Invigoration prior to the scientific meeting. Ali Rezai from Ohio State University offered his views on future developments in brain neuromodulation.
Stimwave Market Approval May Disrupt SCS Industry
The recently announced market approval of Stimwave Technology Inc.’s Freedom 4 injectable stimulation system could have a serious impact on the neuromodulation device industry in the years ahead. The announcement created a buzz among attendees at the recent North American Neuromodulation Society meeting. Stimwave, based in Miami Beach, FL, announced FDA 510(k) clearance to market the company’s wireless, injectable spinal cord stimulation device for relief of chronic back and leg pain.
The Year in Review
As 2014 comes to a close, a look back at events in the last year reveals it was one of the most productive and promising in the history of the neurotechnology industry. Positive developments in research findings, product approvals, startup activity, government funding, investment, and even IPO activity were reported in each issue of this publication. Though not all the news was good, the vast majority of what we reported on in these pages renewed the sense of optimism we displayed in our first issue in 2001.
Valencia Technologies Exploits Neuromodulation Legacy with Hypertension Device
Valencia Technologies, the Valencia, CA developer of hypertension neuromodulation devices, is one of the newest entrants in the neurotechnology industry. But its management and engineering team is anything but new, featuring executives from established neurotech firms such as Medtronic, Boston Scientific, and Advanced Bionics. The company has developed a subcutaneous neuromodulation system for treatment of hypertension.
Sham Treatment
One of the greatest challenges confronting investigators and entrepreneurs developing new neurotech therapies has been devising a clinical trial protocol that accounts for the placebo effect. In order to fulfill requirements for a randomized control trial, neurotech device makers often devise a form of “sham” stimulation that prevents trial participants from knowing whether they’re in the treatment or control arm of a study.
Neurotech Reports Announces Winners of Gold Electrode Awards
Neurotech Reports, the publisher of this newsletter, announced the winners of the 2014 Gold Electrode Awards. The awards were presented at the 2014 Neurotech Leaders Forum in San Francisco on October 20. The Gold Electrode Award for Best New Product was presented to NeuroPace Inc. of Mountain View, CA for its RNS stimulation device. The device, which uses closed loop-stimulation to treat epilepsy, was approved year.
Industry Pioneers and Executives Meet at 2014 Neurotech Leaders Forum
About 85 neurotechnology industry professionals met in San Francisco earlier this month for the 14th annual Neurotech Leaders Forum, hosted , the publisher of this newsletter. The conference kicked off with an overview of recent events in the neurotechnology industry. He cited the spate of neurotechnology industry IPOs as a positive indicator of growth. Other noteworthy trends of the last year incl…
Upper Extremity Prostheses Gain Greater Realism
The potential market for upper-extremity neuroprosthetics continues to look promising and two recent developments in the U.S. and Europe have addressed critical issues amputees have faced with existing devices. These include difficulty in donning, doffing, and controlling a motorized prosthetic and the lack of sensory input needed for performing tasks requiring the dexterity of a natural arm. In Eu…
Preparing for Trial
A year ago, we reported in this space a sense of “guarded optimism” that permeated the 2013 Neurotech Leaders Forum [NBR Oct13 p2]. The mood at this year’s conference was much less guarded and much more optimistic given the wide range of new funding initiatives, partnerships, and IPOs in the neurotechnology industry [see article p7]. Despite all the good news, though, there are still some areas of concern.
Somatosensory Findings Promise Improved Prosthetics
One of the greatest challenges confronting the neuroprosthetics field is the integration of meaningful sensory input into prosthetic limbs. Two new research findings—each challenging conventional thinking in somatosensory neuroscience—may assist neural engineers incorporating sensory feedback into prosthetic or paralyzed upper limbs. Traditional understanding in neuroscience is that tactile sensations from the skin are only assembled to form a complete experience in the cerebral cortex.