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Bringing Stimulation to the Surface The deep brain stimulation market segment continues to be one of the most promising areas of the neurotechnology industry. Even as this segment matures, however, several research teams and commercial firms are looking at an alternative technology that may make DBS obsolete some day and that is epidural cortical stimulation. As Neurotech Business Report senior tec…

Sacred Ground Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been one of the most successful product categories that the neurotechnology industry has seen. However, it is in the interest of DBS manufacturers to take heed of potential complications that may tarnish the reputation that these devices have earned in recent years. As senior technical editor Warren Grill points out in his article this month [see p1],…

A Sensible Opportunity While much of the excitement in the neurotechnology industry has come from the stimulation side of the neural-electronics interface, we’re pleased to report on some interesting developments in neurosensing applications. As we report in our article on page 1 of this issue, manufacturers of neurodiagnostics systems have identified the market for psychiatric disorders as a growth opportunity.

Neurosensing Vendors Target Psychiatric Market Manufacturers of neurodiagnostic systems have begun to look at neuropsychiatric disorders as a new market opportunity for their systems and services. The initial goal appears to be the development of neurosensing devices that could be placed in psychiatrists’ offices to help them diagnose disorders such as depression and Alzheimer’s disease and identify the most appropriate form of therapy to treat those disorders.

Healthy Indicators Sometimes, a new industry like neurotechnology experiences a shot in the arm when new technology developments are unveiled. Other times, less earth-shattering events or combination of events can spur investment and interest in a technology sector. Perhaps this is just one such time in the development of our industry. As we report in our article on page 1 of this issue, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recently approved a number of new devices for the U.S.

Tinnitus Market Offers New Neurotech Opportunity The market for treating tinnitus, a complex auditory condition often associated with ringing in the ears, may represent one of the newest opportunities for neurotechnology vendors. About 50 million Americans are believed to suffer from some form of the condition, and about 12 million of these are characterized as severe enough to require medical treatment.

Excitation and Suppression Since its inception, the commercial neurostimulation industry has relied primarily on activation of neural signals to achieve the desired result. As Warren Grill points out in his article on page 1 of this issue, suppression of neural signals may prove to be an equally powerful tool for neurotechnology firms. The presence of two opposing and complementary modes of stimula…

Cooking the Books with the Pot and the Kettle As the neurotechnology industry matures, it will continue to attract attention from clinicians, investors, the media, and the public. For good or for bad, we can also expect that more neurotech firms will draw the attention of the government. As we report in our article on page 1 of this issue, Advanced Neuromodulation Systems is the latest neurotech vendor to draw scrutiny from the Federal government.

Epic Biosonics Inc. Makes Progress in Electrode, Animal Implant Studies Epic Biosonics, Inc., the Victoria, BC manufacturer of neurostimulation electrodes, announced that the company has expanded its patented EpicCircuit technology to include production of fluoropolymer encapsulated electrode arrays that use gold as the conductive element. The ability to generate gold EpicCircuits complements the f…

Executives and Financial Professionals Discuss Issues at SoCalBio Conference Close to 400 biomedical industry professionals from Southern California attended the 7th SoCalBio Investor Conference in Los Angeles, March 23-24. The event, produced Biomedical Council, seeks to promote and grow the life sciences industry in the greater Los Angeles area. During the conference, several neurotechnology prof…