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The market for noninvasive brain stimulation devices, such as transcranial magnetic and electrical stimulation systems, has been largely driven psychological disorders. But there are now several commercial firms and research institutions pursuing clinical trials of rTMS or tDCS systems for applications in neurorehabilitation. According to the recently published report, The Market for Neurotechnolog…

About 120 executives from pharmaceutical and neurotech device firms participated in the 11th annual Neurotech Investing & Partnering Conference in Boston, MA earlier this month. The event was sponsored and NeuroInsights. In a session devoted to research and development at large medical firms, Jeff Erb from Medtronic and Jeffrey Nye from Johnson & Johnson discussed issues affecting their companies’ decisions on investing in internal and external research programs.

April has been a good month for the neurotechnology industry. Perhaps the biggest news is Abbott’s purchase of St. Jude Medical [see article, p3], which will instantly make the medical device firm a key player in the neurotech space. Though Abbott did not previously have a neuromodulation product line, it’s obvious that the higher growth rates of St. Jude Medical’s neuromodulation products made the deal more attractive to them.

Several established and startup neurotechnology firms are entering the market for treating dysphagia. Often labeled as the neglected disorder, dysphagia is a neurological condition marked . Neurotech devices in this space largely rely on neuromuscular stimulation, but future therapies may exploit noninvasive brain stimulation. The complex process of swallowing involves nearly 50 pairs of muscles and it is the primary means of nurturing the body.

Since its beginnings, the neurotechnology industry has had to contend with playing second fiddle to the pharmaceutical industry. In many instances, neurotech therapies are only considered after all available drug therapies have failed to alleviate symptoms in an individual with a neurological disease or disorder. While addressing treatment-resistant populations in conditions such as chronic pain, e…

Neurotech Reports, the publisher of Neurotech Business Report, announced the release of a new market research report, The Market for Neurotechnology: 2016-2020 . The report forecasts that the global market for neurotechnology products will be $7.6 billion in 2016 and grow to $12.0 billion by 2020, representing a 12 percent compound annual growth rate. Neurotech Reports divides the market into four major product segments: neuroprosthetics, neuromodulation, neurorehabilitation, and neurosensing.

The fields of neuroprosthetics and neurorehabilitation have made tremendous strides in recent years at restoring function and mobility to people with neurological disorders like paralysis or disabilities such as amputation of upper or lower extremities. But despite the progress, there is still much work that needs to be done to return these individuals to a higher level of function. At the recent m…

The market for robotic exoskeletons is poised for significant growth in the years ahead as new vendors enter the market and existing players gain funding and momentum. Exoskeletons are not new. In the 1960s, General Electric developed the first exoskeleton for military use called the Hardiman. It later proved to be impractical for its given purpose. In 2001, DARPA began phase I of the Exoskeletons…

Neurotechnology researchers and entrepreneurs have been known to make many sacrifices in the pursuit of their goals. Far too many neural engineers have seen their personal fortunes dwindle or years of their productive lives vanish as they continued their relentless struggle to build a successful company or advance brain research. But perhaps no other neurotech investigator has risked as much as Phil Kennedy, founder of Neural Signals Inc.

About 85 thought leaders, executives, entrepreneurs, and policy makers gathered at the 15th Annual Neurotech Leaders Forum in San Francisco, November 2-3. This unique forum is a platform for lively discussions around the array of management, investment, and technical issues confronting the growing neurotechnology industry. The first day of the conference focused on reflection of the year past and discussion of where the industry is going.