News

In previous issues of this publication, we’ve highlighted some of the negative impacts on the neurotechnology industry from the new administration in Washington, DC. Many of these have related to funding cuts for critical research and staffing cuts for key government agencies and programs. But in case these impacts were not enough, neuromodulation vendors now find themselves under the eight ball for reimbursement decisions.

On July 15, 2025, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a draft rule that aims to create a level playing field for hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers. CMS believes that advancements in medical technology, surgical techniques, and recovery protocols have nearly eliminated the need for recovery times exceeding 24 hours, which defines inpatient care. Consequently, CMS plans to shift all 1,731 inpatient procedures to outpatient settings with recovery times under 24 hours between 2026 and 2028.

The neurotechnology market for stroke rehabilitation suffered a serious setback in 2008 when Northstar Neuroscience, the Seattle, WA developer of cortical stimulation systems, failed its EVEREST trial, which led to the demise of the firm a year later. The company’s therapeutic approach relied on epidural cortical stimulation to promote neuroplasticity to improve motor function, For nearly a decade…

Neural engineers, clinicians, and neuroscientists assembled in Arlington, VA last month for the 2025 Neural Interfaces Conference. The three-day event is the outgrowth of the NIH Neural Prosthesis Workshop, which began as an annual gathering of researchers funded Program. This year’s conference was produced Society. The sessions offered a look back at key events from the conference’s history as well as a look forward toward new developments in the field.

For two days this June, the corridors of imec’s headquarters in Leuven, Belgium thrummed with a new kind of energy. The inaugural European edition of the Neurotech Leaders Forum—long a staple in the U.S.—brought together a dynamic mix of entrepreneurs, investors, academics, and strategists to spotlight Europe’s accelerating neurotechnology ecosystem. Co-hosted , the forum provided a panoramic view…

Like any area of scientific discovery, the field of neuromodulation depends heavily on timely and open dissemination of research findings and trial results. Traditionally, scientific journals have filled this function and the peer-review process that determines which papers get published provides the essential feedback that helps build consensus among the key stakeholders in the field. This feedbac…

MedTech Innovator, based in Los Angeles, CA, is not venture capital firm in the strict sense. But the organization has played a significant role in helping launch a number of neurotech industry startup. MedTech Innovator bills itself as the world’s largest accelerator for medical device, digital health, and diagnostic companies. Its mission is to improve the lives of patients companies that are transforming the healthcare system.

The vagus nerve has proven to be a critical target for a number of potential new bioelectronic medicine therapies. But at the same time, this nerve has confounded research teams and startup firms pursuing indications such as heart failure and inflammatory disorders. A recent paper highlights some of the attributes of this complex nerve that make commercializing new therapies so difficult, including…

The market for brain computer interfaces continued to heat up in recent weeks as several vendors announced new milestones in human implantations. As we have noted in previous issues of this publication, the number of new firms entering the space and the amount of venture funding being distributed to startups surpasses any other product category we have seen in the 25 years we have been covering the neurotechnology industry.

The market for brain-computer interfaces continues to expand, with new players and new financing being announced almost weekly. As we report in our article on page 1 of this issue, some of the earliest competitors in this space are engaged in a race to accumulate new human participants in an effort to position themselves as a market leader, even though meaningful revenues are years away for most of these firms.