SetPoint Medical, headquartered in Valencia, California, is developing neuromodulation therapies for patients with inflammatory autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), psoriasis, diabetes, heart disease, and multiple sclerosis. SetPoint’s proprietary neuromodulation platform consists of an implantable “microregulator”, wireless charger and iPad prescription pad application.
Toronto-based Functional Neuromodulation announced that it implanted the first U.S. Alzheimer’s patient in the “ADvance Study” with a deep brain stimulation (DBS) system meant to improve cognitive performance. ADvance will evaluate the safety and potential clinical benefit of DBS of the fornix (DBS-f), a major inflow and output pathway in the brain’s memory circuit, for patients with mild Alzheimer’s. The ADvance Study is being conducted using Medtronic Activa DBS IPGs.
While DBS has been an effective treatment for movement disorders for more than 15 years, it was only recently that this approach was first applied to Alzheimer’s. Dr. Andres Lozano, a neurosurgeon at University of Toronto and Scientific Founder of Functional Neuromodulation, originated the concept of treating memory disorders using deep brain stimulation (DBS) while treating a patient suffering from morbid obesity. In this patient, DBS stimulation of the hypothalamus and fornix was associated with an unexpected observed improvement in the patient’s memory.
Boston Scientific Received European Regulatory Approval For New Precision Spectra™ Spinal Cord Stimulator System. It is the first and so-far only SCS system with 32 contacts and 32 dedicated power sources designed to provide pain relief to a broad spectrum of chronic pain patients.
Image Credit: Boston Scientific
Boston Scientific has received CE Mark approval for increased longevity projections for the INCEPTA™, ENERGEN™, PUNCTUA™, COGNIS® and TELIGEN® implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators (CRT-Ds). The longevity projections are based on data submitted to the European authorities and vary for each device dependent on the model type and settings.
Projected device longevity exceeds 10 years for some models, approaches eight years for its CRT-D devices, and according to the press release is up to double that of comparable competitive device models. The company supports these devices with warranties of up to 10 years:
Warranties: INCEPTA and ENERGEN VR ICD: 10 years; INCEPTA and ENERGEN DR ICD: eight years; PUNCTUA and TELIGEN ICD: seven years; INCEPTA and ENERGEN CRT-D: six years; and PUNCTUA & COGNIS CRT-D: five years.