News

Medical Mindset, Social Conscience The neurotechnology industry will likely encounter several areas where ethical considerations impact new technologies and therapies, as Warren Grill points out in his article on page 1 of this issue. The three real-world examples he cites, involving transformed mental states, enhanced human performance, and informed consent, are no doubt a small subset of the issues this industry may encounter in the years ahead.

Neurotech Vendors Target Cerebral Palsy Market Neurotechnology vendors are beginning to target new and existing products to the cerebral palsy market. Though the disorder is not as large nor as homogenous as some other conditions, there seems to be a good fit with some devices originally targeted for individuals with stroke, spinal cord injuries, movement disorders, and other neurological conditions.

Neurotech Reports Revises Market Projections Downward Neurotech Reports, the publisher of this newsletter, has released an updated version of its market research report on the neurotechnology industry that projects lower worldwide device sales than were projected in the previous version of the report. The Market for Neurotechnology: 2010-2014 was revised in part to reflect the impact of recent economic conditions.

Remote Neurosensing Market Sees Flurry of Activity The market for neurosensing and brain analysis systems with integrated communication capabilities is undergoing expansion, based on recent market activity. Remote sensing devices offer clinicians the opportunity to help diagnose neurological conditions such as stroke or brain injury. One of the newest entrants in the remote neurosensing market is a…

The Bad with the Good Since Neurotech Reports was founded in 2001, the editors of this publication have published a market research report on the neurotechnology industry. Although the report has been revised several times since it was first published in 2001, the latest revision, available in May 2009, is the first one that offers market projections considerably lower than were published in the previous version [see article, p3].

Carbon Nanotubes Confer Unique Properties to Neurons , senior technical editor Carbon nanotubes exhibit unique electrical and mechanical properties and are the subject of intense investigations in biomedicine. In the nervous system, nanotubes have been used to construct matrices for tissue culture and scaffolds for regeneration. For example, previous work has demonstrated that nanotube substrates can impact the differentiation of precursor (stem) cells.

Icelandic Ossur hf Lends its Support to Neuroprosthetics Market ial director In less than a decade, Ossur hf, headquartered in Reykjavik, Iceland, has grown to become the world’s second largest manufacturer of prosthetic devices and a major player in the orthopedic bracing and support marketplace. The company devotes a considerable amount of its R&D effort to bionic technology with its research foc…

Passing the Baton Neuromodulation therapy delivered via deep brain stimulation is one of the most successful segments of the neurotechnology industry and offers tremendous potential for a host of new applications currently under development. But the product category is impacted -surgical challenges of inserting and maintaining leads in the basal ganglia deep within the brain. As we report in this i…

Transcranial AC Stimulation a New Neuromodulation Tool , senior technical editor There is renewed interest in transcranial stimulation as a means to manipulate brain activity and treat neurological disorders. Low-level DC current applied to the skull using surface electrodes, called transcranial direct current stimulation, can modulate cortical function in humans. Last year, we highlighted applicat…

Neurotech CEOs Make Their Case at Subdued J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference The CEOs of several neurotechnology firms were on hand at the 27th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, held in San Francisco, CA earlier this month. In contrast with prior years, conference organizers and participants scaled back on some of their extravagence—and their financial pronouncements—in light of the subdued economic climate.