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Neurotechnology Pioneers and Entrepreneurs to Highlight October Investment Conference Some of the world’s leading researchers and entrepreneurs in neural prostheses, neurostimulation, and advanced brain sensing will participate in the second annual Neurotech Leaders Forum, to be held in San Francisco October 3, 2002. The full-day event offers an opportunity for researchers and executives in the neurotechnology field to interact with venture capital firms and other funding organizations.

New Publishing Firm Devoted to Neurotechnology Market Neurotech Reports, a Torrance, CA based publisher of newsletters and market research reports, has been launched to provide strategic information on the new and growing field of neurotechnology. Neurotechnology is defined as the application of electronics and engineering to human nervous system function. It is a distinct field from biotechnology, which concerns itself largely with molecular and genetic engineering approaches to human biology.

The 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, held in San Francisco earlier this month [see Conference Report, p7], was significant for several reasons. First, the association had just released the fifth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the new version was fodder for much discussion. While there is not universal agreement among professionals wi…

Vendors and researchers in the implanted neuromodulation device field have long been familiar with the “last resort” nature of neurotechnology interventions. Because of perceived risks, surgical complications, and up-front costs associated with implanted stimulation devices, clinicians generally do not recommend neurostimulation therapy until patients have exhausted all other available interventions.

From the March 2013 issue of Neurotech Business Report © 2013 Neurotech Reports Neural engineers, clinicians, and neuroscience researchers came to Houston, TX last month for the 2013 International Workshop on Clinical Brain-Neural Machine Interfaces. The first-ever event was sponsored , the Methodist Hospital Research Institute, and The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research, with major funding from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.

This has been a good month for the neurotech industry and investors in neurotech startups. The good news started with a unanimous vote of the FDA Neurological Devices Panel to recommend the NeuroPace RNS system for approval. Some industry observers see this as a sign that things are changing at the FDA, particularly given the fact that NeuroPace’s trial data, while very good, is not much different…

From the February 2013 issue of Neurotech Business Report. © 2013 Neurotech Reports. Plexon, Inc., the Dallas, TX manufacturer of neural signal processing hardware and software, recently celebrated its 30th anniversary as a supplier in the neuroscience research and neurotechnology markets. Plexon is a pioneer in producing high-performance solutions for data acquisition, behavioral research, and advanced analysis specifically designed for neuroscience research.

Mapping Our Mission Among all the topics President Obama addressed in his State of the Union address earlier this month, perhaps the most intriguing was his call to invest in brain research. In a moment reminiscent of John Kennedy’s call for the nation to land a man on the moon, Obama said the government should invest in the best ideas in brain science. Invoking the example of the Human Genome Project, which returned $140 to the U.S.

Curing Our Addiction One of the most promising market opportunities for the neuro­technology industry lies with addiction-related disorders. In recent years, researchers and clinicians have made progress on two fronts: identifying the neural basis for addiction, and introducing potential neuromodulation therapies to treat addiction. And as we discussed in this space recently, neuromodulation therapies to treat chronic pain can help circumvent the rampant opioid addiction problem thrust upon us .

Learning From Our Mistakes As 2012 comes to a close, it’s worth noting that there were many positive developments during the year. Among the most noteworthy were the emergence of the retinal prosthesis market in Europe and a favorable FDA panel vote for Second Sight’s Argus II implant. The maturation of the hypoglossal nerve stimulation market and the emergence of neurotech products for Alzheimer’s disease are also good signs.