News

In the wake of Functional Neuromodulation’s failed trial of DBS of the fornix for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, two research teams and one neurotech startup are investigating different brain targets and therapeutic approaches to treating the disorder. Dan Rizzuto’s team at Penn has reported positive results using cortical stimulation of the lateral temporal lobe to improve memory in Alzheimer’s patients.

Nearly 3000 clinicians, researchers, and neural engineering professionals attended the 2018 meeting of the North American Neuromodulation Society, held in Las Vegas, NV earlier this month. Advances in spinal cord stimulation for treating chronic pain featured prominently in this year’s meeting. In an opening plenary talk, Stephen Falowski from St. Luke’s hospital discussed the issue of awake versus nonawake patients during SCS implantation procedures.

Neurotech therapies using implanted stimulation devices have transformed the lives of countless patients and drawn praise from a number of sources. Occasionally, the neurotech device industry receives harsh criticism from watchdogs, journalists, nonprofit organizations, and disgruntled patients. How the industry responds to such criticism could have a significant impact on growth and new product development.

Representatives from some of the world’s leading brain research projects convened in Canberra, Australia earlier this month to discuss how they can work together and leverage their collective resources. Following that meeting on December 11, the Canberra Declaration was born. The initial members include the Australian Brain Alliance, Japan’s Brain/MINDS Project, the Korea Brain Initiative, the European Union’s Human Brain Project, and the U.S.

Representatives from some of the world’s leading brain research projects convened in Canberra, Australia earlier this month to discuss how they can work together and leverage their collective resources. Following that meeting on December 11, the Canberra Declaration was born. The initial members include the Australian Brain Alliance, Japan’s Brain/MINDS Project, the Korea Brain Initiative, the European Union’s Human Brain Project, and the U.S.

Neurotech Reports, the publisher of the Neurotech Business Report newsletter, announced the launch of a new conference related to bioelectronic medicine. The 2018 Bioelectronic Medicine Forum will take place in New York City on March 22, 2018. The inaugural one-day event will take place at the Millennium Broadway Hotel & Conference Center, one day prior to the BioCentury Future Leaders Conference at the same venue.

The year 2017 may not be remembered as the most dramatic in the history of the neurotechnology industry. But it certainly continued a long sequence of good news for entrepreneurs and researchers in the field. Among the significant technological achievements of the year was the first demonstration of a brain computer interface integrated with an implanted FES system to restore function to a paralyzed individual.

Several new efforts now underway from government and nonprofit agencies to increase patient involvement in medical device design and development may help neurotech vendors get products to market sooner. Earlier this fall, the FDA released updates to its patient engagement program and guidance policies in an effort to improve innovative medical device access and protect those who rely on these medical products.

Among the challenges confronting neurotechnology firms developing new products and therapies is obtaining reimbursement. Making this task more difficult is the fact that neurotech devices generally cost more than pharmaceuticals and many payers take a short-term view on the issue of relative cost-effectiveness. Fortunately, neurotech firms and clinicians are beginning to fight back. We’re pleased t…

More than 100 neurotechnology industry professionals attended the 17th annual Neurotech Leaders Forum, held in San Francisco earlier this month. On day one, keynote speaker Tom Insel, former NIMH director and president of startup Mindstrong Health, gave attendees an overview of recent efforts to establish objective measures of mental health. Insel described some of the problems inherent in current methods of assessing mental health.