News

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…

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.

Recognizing that rehabilitation can “help people with disabilities reach their full potential,” the NIH recently published a plan for rehabilitation research to spearhead future efforts. The five-year plan was led Medical Rehabilitation Research, an entity of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The plan sets a roadmap to guide funding and research thrusts and gain a better comprehension of the body’s repair mechanisms.

The first ever competition combining technology and human sport took place on October 8 at the SWISS Arena in Zurich, Switzerland. With 66 teams representing 25 countries, this competition broke new ground in the next generation of athletic competition. In recent years the organizers of the Paralympic Games have struggled with technology advances in prosthetic limbs and stimulation for muscle conditioning and how they fit into the current competitive environment.

One of the themes that emerged during the 2016 Neurotech Leaders Forum earlier this month [see Conference Report, p7] was the critical importance of clinical trials for novel neuromodulation therapies. As we have witnessed repeatedly in recent years, the success or failure of a clinical trial in a new therapeutic area can have a dramatic effect on the entire industry, and not just the trial sponsors.

The neurotechnology industry has benefited greatly in recent months from new funding initiatives from government agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. But now there is a steady stream of multibillion dollar biopharmaceutical and other healthcare conglomerates investing and partnering with neurotech firms and research organizations.

Neurotech Reports, the publisher of Neurotech Business Report, announced that several promising neurotechnology firms will present at the 2016 Neurotech Leaders Forum. The 16th annual event will take place October 24-25 in San Francisco. New additions to the agenda are Milton Morris, CEO of NeuSpera Medical Inc., Jason Richey, president of LivaNova’s neuromodulation unit, Roy Katz, vice president o…

One of the hallmarks of successful product marketing is a customer focus that prioritizes the needs and desires of the product’s intended user. In the medical device industry, manufacturers have often conducted focus groups to discern aesthetic or usability preferences for particular device designs. But focus groups or user surveys are of little use if the product cannot obtain regulatory approval.

In the few weeks since we published Jennifer French’s article about the surface stimulation market rebounding [NBR Jun16 p1], a number of new developments have emerged that further make her case. First, as we report on page 4 of this issue, pharmaceutical giant Bayer has entered the TENS market with its Aleve direct therapy device for back pain. The compact, adhesive device, which is available for…

DARPA Prosthetics Programs Seek Natural Upper Limb ial director A neurally-controlled arm and hand prosthesis that will perform, look, and feel like a natural limb is the goal of two Revolutionizing Prosthetics programs funded Projects Agency (DARPA). According to Col. Geoff Ling, DARPA’s manager of the programs, the goal is not only to advance the state of the art in prosthetics, but also to have…