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Neurotech Leaders Forum Participants Discuss New Market Opportunities ial director About 90 representatives of various segments of the neurotechnology industry attended the 2007 Neurotech Leaders Forum, held in Newport Beach, CA last month. The two-day event featured three short courses and a consumer/end-user panel on the first day and several industry panel discussions on the second day. Keynote…

DBS Gains Awareness as Therapy for Traumatic Brain Injury The market potential for deep brain stimulation as a treatment for traumatic brain injury increased dramatically this month following a well publicized procedure involving a patient in a minimally conscious state and investigators at three U.S. institutions. The work, reported in the August 2 issue of Nature, stems from research at the Cleveland Clinic, the JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Center, and Weill Cornell Medical College.

2006 in Review As years go, 2006 was not the watershed year that 2005 was for the neurotechnology industry, nor was it the depressing time that we saw in the early years of this decade. We witnessed a number of promising technology and market developments, and a few disappointments. But overall, the neurotechnology industry is, in our view, on a stronger footing now than it was a year ago. From a financial standpoint, there were no multi-billion dollar mergers in 2006, or anything even coming close.

Competition Heats Up in Consciousness Monitoring market for depth-of-anesthesia monitoring systems, currently dominated . with its BIS technology, is heating up. At least two new competitors have entered the market recently, potentially creating a new competitive landscape in the brain state analysis segment of the neurosensing market. Cleveland Medical Devices Inc. recently introduced its WAV CNS index, based on the company’s NeuroSense monitor.

Slow Wave Stimulation May Help Treat Brain Disorders , senior technical editor We are taught that long hours of study or practice are the best means to learn new material. However, recent work indicates that sleep is essential for consolidating new memories. The underlying mechanisms are not well understood but two competing theories posit that it is the effects of chemical modulators or the widespread oscillations in brain electrical activity that contribute to memory consolidation during sleep.

Playing the Field Much of what we have covered in this publication since its founding five years ago relates to implanted electrodes that deliver stimulation to the brain and other portions of the nervous system. In this issue, we consider two forms of stimulation that do not require implanted electrodes. These are transcranial magnetic stimulation and slow wave electrical fields. As NBR senior tec…

Fighting the Obstacles Attendees at the 2006 Neurotech Leaders Forum in San Francisco last month learned of a number of obstacles confronting new entrants to the neurotechnology industry [see conference report, p7]. Many of these obstacles were pointed out , CEO of Cyberonics Inc., who shared some of the more frustrating moments from his days in the neurotechnology industry. One obvious barrier to commercialization familiar to most medical device executives is regulatory approval, and the FDA in particular.

Neurotech Leaders Forum Attendees Discuss Obstacles to Commercialization Staff Report The 2006 Neurotech Leaders Forum, held in San Francisco, CA September 28-29, offered an opportunity for neurotechnology industry entrepreneurs to interact with executives from more established medical device firms and the financial professionals who will help grow the industry. It also offered attendees a sobering look at some of the challenges confronting them as they endeavor to move from research to commercial ­development.

The Depression Circuit One of the most intriguing developments in the field of neuromodulation in recent years has been the quest to identify the neural circuits involved with mood disorders. As we discuss in our article on page 1 of this issue, deep brain stimulation in general, and DBS for treatment of Parkinson’s disease in particular, has proven to be a powerful tool for neurologists and psychiatrists studying psychiatric disorders.

Neurotech Reports Editors Announce Winners of 2006 Gold Electrode Awards The editors of Neurotech Reports, the publisher of Neurotech Business Report, have announced the winners of the 2006 Gold Electrode Awards, established in 2004 to recognize individuals and organizations that have helped foster the growth of the neurotechnology industry. Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems Inc. received the best new product award for its Andara OFS spinal cord stimulation system.