Top 3 takeaways Developments in the spinal cord stimulation market for pain heat up with regulatory approval of 2 new devices for the treatment of chronic pain. Medtronic faces competition as Axonics enters the market with their sacral nerve stimulation device for fecal incontinence. Two major announcement for the treatment of paralysis due to SCI; one from DARPA and the other from European start-up venture, GTX medical
Oct 22, 2019•22 min
This is the first episode of a new monthly series of the neurotech industry round-up. If you don't have time to scan the headlines every day, listen to this podcast to get a summary of the news over that last month. Joining Ladan is Jen French and Jim Cavuoto from Neurotech Reports to review what is drawing attention in the neurotechnology industry. Some of the headlines focused on regulatory approvals of devices in the areas of heart failure, sleep apnea, migraine, and Parkinson's disease, as w...
Sep 23, 2019•18 min
Steven Plymale is the CEO of MyndTec. He joined the firm in late 2017 and has more than 25 years of experience in the medical device industry. Previously, he was CEO of Profound Medical, bringing the company from a small six-person team to going public in 2015 in an IPO that raised $60 million. Plymale was also with Xltek, now a division of Natus Medical, and Claron Technologies. Milos Popovic is the Director of the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute (KITE) and professor in the Institute of Biomat...
Jun 28, 2019•22 min
In this episode, Ladan recaps his experience at the Toronto rehabweek and discusses what he did and who he spoke with. Top three takeaways: Rehabweek brought together various fields such as engineering and rehabilitation science, as well as clinicians The aim of the event was to bring together different disciplines working toward the same goal and to find similar key points between them One can learn a lot from talking to people from different fields and gaining a better understanding of the pro...
Jun 28, 2019•7 min
Thierry Keller is a researcher in Tecnalia , a research institute in Spain. In this episode, he discusses some of the neuroprosthetic technologies for upper and lower extremity stimulation and recording that he is working to develop in his institute. Top three takeaways: Multiple stimulation channels, such as on the transcutaneous array, can provide better resolution of functions There needs to be open communication and sharing of knowledge between technology developers, clinicians, and end user...
Jun 28, 2019•29 min
Ursula Costa is the Head of Clinical Affairs at Hocoma AG, an established neural rehabilitation company based in Zurich, Switzerland. She is a licensed physical therapist who has recovered herself from a spinal cord injury as a young girl and then nurtured her passion for neurorehabilitation. She holds a PhD from Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona in Physical Therapy and has held a professorship at the same university. Takeaway: Rehabilitation technology is a tool to help the patient gain maximum...
Jun 28, 2019•7 min
Bimal Lakhani is the Vice President of Product Development at HealthTech Connex and NeuroCatch, a recent startup targeting the analytics of brain disorder diagnosis and improvements. He is also Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. He holds a PhD in Rehabilitation Science. This conversation talks about the company, science behind it and where it is going in the future. Takeaways: We currently do not have a quick mechanism to check out brain health. Clini...
Jun 28, 2019•17 min
Tom LeBlanc is the Marketing Manager at Bioness, a neuroprosthetics and neural rehabilitation technology company born out of the Alfred E. Mann Foundation. Let’s listen in on his interview. He has several years of experience in marketing and communications within Bioness. Prior to joining them he was in the entertainment industry with the likes of Disney and Warner Bros. He holds an MBA from Pepperdine University. Let’s listen to our conversation with him. Takeaway: Functional electrical stimula...
Jun 28, 2019•6 min
Debbie Backus is with the Shepherd Center, a rehabilitation hospital located in Atlanta, and is also the president of ACRM, a multidisciplinary organization whose mission is to help improve the lives of people with disabilities, particularly brain and spinal cord injuries. In this episode, she discusses the current technologies used to help patients with movement disabilities, how far the technologies have come, the cost-effectiveness of such technologies, and how those technologies may continue...
Jun 28, 2019•10 min
Paul Meadows is one of the founding members of IFESS and a veteran in the neurotech industry. He is currently the Chief Technology Officer at Imthera in the development of neurostimulation device for obstructive sleep apnea. The company was recently acquired by LivaNova. Previous Meadows was involved with neurotech development at Advanced Bionics as well as the Alfred E. Mann Foundation. Takeaways: 1. Current technology transfer developments are influenced by peer-reviewed published research. 2....
Jun 28, 2019•7 min
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich’s Robert Reiner was one of the key figures to initiate the Cybathlon in 2016. The Cybathlon is a unique event in the development of every- day assistive devices in which people living with various disabilities compete while using the latest developments. There are six disciplines from advanced wheelchairs to FES cycling. Florian Haufe, a PhD candidate in Dr. Reiner’s lab, fills us in a little more about this premiere event and what the expect i...
Jun 28, 2019•14 min
David Pitino is a health technology researcher who started the Abilities Research Center in Mount Sinai. In this episode, he discusses innovation in the health tech industry, and how such technology and the industry overall can be improved. Top three takeaways: Communicating with your end user is critically important in solving challenges with medical technologies. One major improvement in most medical technologies is the increase in affordability of these technologies for patients. Improving th...
Jun 28, 2019•8 min
RehabWeek Exclusive interview the Kim Skinner Kim Skinner is the Director of Physical Therapy at Helius Medical Technologies where she is instrumental in the introduction of the PoNS rehabilitation program. Prior to this she was the Physical Therapy Director and Researcher at the University of Wisconsin, Madison working with sensory processing and neurological disorders. She holds a PhD in Physical Therapy and Health Sciences and maintains her license in physical therapy. We met up with Kim at R...
Jun 28, 2019•15 min
Vivian Mushahwar is a professor at the University of Alberta in the Department of Medicine, and she is in the division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation . She has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a PhD in bioengineering, and has completed two postdoc positions in rehab medicine and neuroscience. In this episode, she discusses some of the technologies she is researching and developing with regards to nerve stimulation and walking/standing. Top three takeaways: Neural stimul...
Jun 28, 2019•23 min
Narrative Salchow and Sayenko Dual interview episode: Christina Salchow-Hommen from Charité Universitätsmedizin in Berlin, Germany. Her presentation at RehabWeek2019 was titled “Characterization Of Optimal Electrode Configurations For Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation.” The talk presented her findings from a small trial which included 5 participants living with spinal cord injuries. In the trial, they were trying to find the optimal placements and size of surface stimulation electrodes to e...
Jun 28, 2019•13 min
Doctor Henry Greely is a professor of law at Stanford University . His primary focus surrounds discussing the ethics of biological innovation and their implications to society. He is the president and founder of the International Neuroethics Society . In this episode, he delves into the complications associated with developing ethics in the similarly developing fields of biotechnology. Top Three Takeaways: There are gaps in the ethical standards surrounding new biomedical advancements. Researche...
May 27, 2019•42 min
Doctor Takashi Kozai, or Doctor TK Kozai, is currently an assistant professor at the Swanson School of Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh . He currently works in his own laboratory and researches in-vivo calcium brain imaging. He also has a background in research concerning carbon electrode development. He has been offered to work with the Neuralink Team associated with Elon Musk , but turned down the offer to focus on the innovational aspects of neural implant development. Top Three Ta...
Apr 29, 2019•24 min
Doctor Alejandra Gonzalez is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Texas-Dallas that works in the fields of neurotechnology. She currently focuses on how she can develop graphing fibers that have better electrochemical properties for implantable devices. Top Three Takeaways: Her team is creating graphing fibers without good electrochemical properties and good mechanical properties to use as electrical interfaces in peripheral nerves. Conventional electrodes have charge capacities that r...
Apr 22, 2019•5 min
Ian Baumgart is a Biomedical Engineering Master’s student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison . He currently conducts research in Doctor Kip Ludwig’s Neural Engineering Laboratory . Baumgart’s current project focuses on the Injectrode, which is an injectable pre-polymer that can act as a conductor throughout the body along with nerves. Top Three Takeaways: The Injectrode is basically liquid pre-polymer with conductive particles that are completely injectable. The benefits of this procedure in...
Apr 15, 2019•7 min
Doctor Cary Kuliasha is a postdoctoral research associate working with Doctor Jack Judy’s research laboratory at the University of Florida . His team focuses on the potential effects the body’s environment could have on biomedical devices over time through accelerated aging. Kuliasha’s work currently focuses on how Anisotropic Conductive Adhesive technology could be applied to bioelectronics since it is currently used in computer technology. Top Three Takeaways: The point of the project is to mi...
Apr 08, 2019•10 min
Andrew Trask is currently a student at Oxford University and Author of Grokking Deep Learning performing his Ph.D. concerning anonymizing data. He discusses the facts concerning deep and machine learning and their possible benefits to society. Trask also discusses privacy securing techniques that would further benefit the field. Finally, Trask discusses his connection with Open Mind, which is a company that uses machine and deep learning to overcome the barriers in adoption. Top Three Takeaways:...
Mar 25, 2019•32 min
Cory Inman is a postdoctoral fellow at Emory University School of Medicine who studies the effect deep brain stimulation has on the emotional experience of humans. He seeks to treat depression in patients and potentially improve their memories through the effects of deep brain stimulation. In this episode, he explains how his team studies deep brain stimulation and navigates the ethics associated with the rising technology. Top Three Takeaways: The exact areas of brain stimulation determine if t...
Mar 11, 2019•42 min
Jim Cavuoto runs Neurotech Reports where he seeks to educate the industry and public concerning neurotechnology and neuroprosthetics. Cavuoto studied at Case Western University as a biomedical engineering student and began writing about neurotechnology as an undergraduate student. His organization serves as an information source for four fields of neurotechnology: neuromodulation, neuroprosthetics, neurosensing, and neurorehabilitation; a yearly growth report and weekly newsletter is provided by...
Mar 04, 2019•26 min
Jennifer French of Neurotech Reports received a spinal cord injury in 1998 and became the first woman to receive the Stand and Transfer neural implant system. A silver medalist in sailing at the 2012 Paralympic Games, she sits down to discuss her experiences with her implantable device and how it has affected her life. During this discussion, she mentions her struggles and successes with her device along with her concerns and hopes for the technology. If you like this episode then come to the Bi...
Feb 25, 2019•55 min
***Apologies! The wrong episode audio was incorrectly uploaded previously*** Dr. Francisco Delgado , or Frank, has worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University Florida under Dr. Kevin Otto’s laboratory for a little over two years. As he plans to move on and pursue his career with the Food and Drug Administration , he reflects back on what he received as working in the Otto lab. Not only does he offer advice to future postdoctoral researchers, he also points out how they can receive the ...
Feb 18, 2019•26 min
Thomas Hughes, JD works as the senior principal advisor for The Regulatory and Clinical Research Institute based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His organization works to assist medical device companies pass regulatory steps to sell their product and find paths for reimbursements necessary to fund the medical devices. He stresses that one of the most critical steps in developing a device involves focusing on the reimbursement process. Top Three Takeaways: Medical device companies must consider the re...
Feb 11, 2019•21 min
Doctor Frederic Gilbert works at the University of Tasmania in Australia and studies neuroethics. A major theme is how Deep Brain Stimulation affects personality disorders. In a very limited amount of research, studies have indicated that some patients have experienced strong personality changes inclining them to depression, addiction and sometimes even suicide. Gilbert paints the importance of medical ethics when making medical innovations in order to protect patients. He argues that medical et...
Feb 04, 2019•25 min
Robert Gaunt is in the field of biomedical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation focusing on sensory neuroprosthetics. His research aims to assist patients who suffer from afflictions that range from amputations to bladder control. He recognizes the challenges the development of neuroprosthetics faces and urges that more funding and research be put into solving these dilemmas. Gaunt makes clear the importance of group collaboration in ...
Jan 28, 2019•19 min
Roberta Goode started Goode Compliance International to assist companies in the industry of biomedical engineering facing the scrutiny of regulations instilled by organizations like the Food and Drug Administration. Goode explains the purpose of her company and the path she took to ensure its success through years of experience and learning. She later began Altrec LLC as a second career to assist clients to break down the complexities associated with starting a company and promoting a service or...
Jan 21, 2019•50 min
Founded by Martin Bak in 1983, Microprobes for Life Science seeks to provide a unique electrode model that uses Parylene-C as an insulator. This company aims to sell customizable products to neuroscientists studying electrophysiology. All products are handmade, tested for precision and quality, and made by request of the customer. The company has experienced steady growth at 6-8% since its conception and uses its handmade approach as its business model. Top Three Takeaways: Microprobes for Life ...
Jan 14, 2019•23 min
