News

Computational Neuro Engineering a Key Subject at University of Florida The Computational NeuroEngineering Laboratory at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL has quickly garnered a reputation as a leading research institution in neural engineering. In large part, this is because of the stature of the laboratory’s founder and director, Jose Principe. Principe is well know to many researchers in the field because he serves as editor-in-chief of the journal IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

Non-Profit Organization Seeks to Promote Neural Prosthesis Awareness A newly formed non-profit organization is seeking to increase the public and media awareness of neural prostheses, functional electrical stimulation, and related technologies that stand to benefit individuals with neurological disorders. The Society To Increase Mobility (STIM) was formed last month in Florida. Jennifer French, one…

Quallion Brings Power to Neurostimulation Industry While many manufacturers in the neurotechnology industry have devoted their engineering talents to building devices that activate neural tissue, Quallion, LLC has a more fundamental mission. The Sylmar, CA company builds power sources that activate implanted stimulators. The firm’s product line includes a number of compact lightweight batteries that are used in a variety of applications.

Neurotech Leaders Forum Panelists and Attendees Discuss Future of Industry About 65 executives, venture capital professionals, and researchers participated in the 2003 Neurotech Leaders Forum in San Francisco on September 9, 2003. The full-day event, presented sponsorship , featured a keynote address , the executive director of the Society to Increase Mobility (STIM) and a pioneering user of an implanted standing/transfer system.

DoE Spearheads Collaboration on Retinal Prostheses , senior financial editor and James Cavuoto, editor With the help of the U.S. Department of Energy and other funding agencies, several national laboratories, universities, and commercial firms are collaborating on retinal prosthesis technology development. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Biological and Environmental Research recently issued a $9 million, three-year grant for the development of retinal implant technology.

BION Developers Push New Versions and Applications The BION, one of the most compact and innovative stimulation devices under development, is undergoing continued enhancement in design and applications, even before the first commercial versions have reached the market. In recent weeks, the developers of the device have announced new configurations, accessories, and alliances that they hope will help make the product ubiquitous in the neurostimulation field.

Neurotechnology entrepreneur and philanthropist Alfred Mann, the founder of Advanced Bionics, Second Sight Ltd., and other stimulation device manufacturers, may be looking at functional electrical stimulation as one of his next product development directions. In a recent interview with Neurotech Business Report, Mann voiced his support for building FES systems to treat paralysis caused stroke. Mann…

The Best of Years, the Worst of Years As 2002 comes to a close, the neurotechnology industry can look back on another paradoxical year—a year filled with exceptional triumphs in technology developments and depressing financial and economic news from the commercial enterprises in the field. This issue’s Financial News [p3] offers an example: staff reductions at Aspect Medical and Axon, flat sales at Bio-logic Systems, and the demise of Symphonix.

Control Science and Engineering One of the most promising areas of neurotechnology research in recent years has been brain-computer interfaces and cortical control of neural prostheses. This field has attracted much attention from the media, funding agencies, and scientific researchers and there are now a number of institutions performing research, generally using primates. As it turns out, there are those who feel that not all of the attention has been fully appropriate.

In recent weeks, the National Institutes of Health has awarded millions of dollars in funding to research institutions and commercial firms pursuing novel bioelectronic medicine therapies and diagnostics. The NIH’s SPARC program (Stimulating Peripheral Activity to Relieve Conditions) has been instrumental in funding the early development of the bioelectronic medicine industry. In Phase 1 of the pro…