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 firm’s platinum circuit technology and was pursued in response to customer interest in implantable gold arrays for applications requiring extremely low resistance.

The EpicCircuit photolithographic batch fabrication process can speed prototyping, deliver robust devices with reduced manufacturing costs, and enable the creation of much smaller, thinner, and more complex devices than current hand fabrication methods allow.

Epic also announced completion of an extended animal implant test. Gross examination of Epic electrode arrays recovered after being implanted for more than 2.5 years in the cochlea and the neck muscle of a cat showed no evidence of tissue adhesion, inflammation, or infection, nor any visible changes to the implant materials or structure. Further testing of Epic’s proprietary fluoropolymer encapsulated platinum microcircuitry is ongoing.

This study was conducted in Europe under the auspices of Austrian cochlear implant manufacturer, MED-EL Medical Electronics GmbH. MED-EL holds an exclusive, worldwide license to the EpicCircuit technology, in the field of hearing implants.