News

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…

NeuroVentures Capital Specializes in Funding Neuroscience Firms NeuroVentures Capital cannot boast having as large a fund or as well known a name as some of the Sand Hill Rd. firms on the west coast. But the Virginia-based firm can claim to be the largest, and perhaps the only VC firm to target the neuro space exclusively. NeuroVentures management includes two professionals with a well meshed combination of skills and experience.

The Force Within Us Christopher Reeve’s relationship with the media has proven to be something of a double-edged sword for neurotechnology professionals, as we discuss in our accompanying article. While Reeve has given a lot of credit to his activity-based rehabilitation, which includes functional electrical stimulation sessions, he has never been as strong an advocate for neural prostheses as he h…

What a Difference a Year Makes In many respects, it seems like several years have gone Business Report in September 2001. In the days before September 11, there was a significant media and industry interest that accompanied the launch of this publication and our newly published market research report on the market for neurotechnology. Unfortunately, our moment in the sun was scarcely longer than Andy Warhol’s prescribed 15 minutes.

The FDA’s recent alert about a possible link between cochlear implants and bacterial meningitis (see article, page 1) may not be the most devastating blow ever to have confronted the neurotechnology industry, but it is certainly a serious matter. In many ways, this crisis presents a test for our young industry; how we respond and bounce back from this situation may well be indicative of our level of maturity.