News

Neurotech Device and NeuroPharma Execs Attend First Joint Leaders Forum Staff report About 90 neurotechnology and neuropharmaceutical industry executives and entrepreneurs attended the Ninth Annual Neurotech Leaders Forum in Newport Beach, CA earlier this month. For the first time, the event was held in conjunction with the NeuroInvestment Conference and featured parallel conference tracks on the morning of both days, one related to neurotechnology devices and the other to neuropharmaceuticals and cell therapies.

Comparing Comparative Effectiveness As health care reform legislation works its way through the U.S. Congress, it is becoming increasingly likely that some form of comparative effectiveness will be part of the package. As medical reimbursement expert Gerald Rogan pointed out in his talk at the 2009 Neurotech Leaders Forum last month [see Conference Report, p6], neurotechnology vendors should prepar…

MicroTransponder Inc. Spins Off UT Dallas Technology for Neurotech Applications ial director MicroTransponder Inc., a small startup in Dallas, TX, has set out to develop tiny, implantable, wireless “neurotransponders” that may open the way to substantial miniaturization of neurostimulation devices. Perhaps more important in the long run is the potential of these neurotransponders to fundamentally transform how researchers detect and stimulate nerve impulses in vivo.

Hybrid Approach Enables Selective Silencing of Neurons , senior technical editor The ability to regulate the activity of specific populations of neurons—either stimulating them or silencing them—is an essential element of modern neuroscience and a promising approach for treatment of neurological disorders. The selective activation or inactivation of neurons has been accomplished in a number of ways including chemical stimulation or inactivation, electrical stimulation, and through ablative lesions.

Advances Improve Outlook for Peripheral Nerve Repair A number of research institutions and commercial firms are pursuing new technology for peripheral nerve repair. The new findings may have an impact on the nerve repair market and lead to new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis. After an injury that severs a peripheral nerve, such as one in a finger, nerve endings continue to grow.

Brain-Computer Interface Industry Comes to Surface The relatively young brain-computer interface industry, which in recent years gained notoriety using penetrating electrodes to interface with cortical neurons, is moving toward electrodes placed on the surface of the brain. Much of the impetus for this change has been the demise of Cyberkinetics, the Foxboro, MA manufacturer that closed its doors earlier this year.

Nine Years of Interaction As the staff of Neurotech Reports gets ready for our Ninth Annual Neurotech Leaders Forum, to be held this year in Newport Beach October 26-27, it gives us a chance to look back on how much has happened in our industry since our first event in 2001. Coming within a few weeks of the attacks of September 11, that event only drew about a dozen attendees. But the energy was hi…

Serving our Subscribers As we wrap up our 96th issue of Neurotech Business Report, representing eight full years of publication, we’ve decided it’s time to take inventory of our products and services for subscribers and make plans for moving forward in the commercial marketplace for neurotechnology. By now, our subscribers are familiar with the monthly print version of our newsletter. But not all subscribers may be aware of the other benefits that come with your paid subscription.

Paying the Price As Congress, the Obama administration, and the American people debate the elements of forthcoming healthcare reform legislation, it seems apparent that reining in costs will be the key challenge that confronts us. And undoubtedly, that constraint will place added pressure on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to contract payment rates and defer reimbursement decisions for new medical technologies.

Second Chance for Stroke Market The commercial outlook for treating stroke with neurotechnology devices improved at least slightly with the news that Northstar’s cortical stimulation technology had been acquired by St. Jude Neuromodulation [see article, p3]. Although Northstar’s EVEREST trial for motor recovery from stroke failed to meet its primary endpoint last year, we have reason to believe that the cortical stimulation technology will fare better in the hands of the Dallas-based St.