Hartz NeuroBionics, an MIT derivative, is making bold strides in neuroscience by using ultra-fine bioelectric fibers to treat neurological conditions like depression, epilepsy, and Parkinson’s disease.
Prominent investor Steve Jurvetson from Future Ventures speaks highly of NeuroBionics’ potential. He foresees its innovative techniques also addressing peripheral nervous system issues like pain and incontinence.
NeuroBionics’ technology is compact but mighty – they intend to inject hair-width bioelectric fibers into the brain through a procedure akin to stent placement to deliver neuromodulation therapy.
The fibers receive energy from a standard implantable battery shaped like an Airpod case. It’s designed to function for five to ten years and is commonplace in other medical devices used for spinal cord stimulation.
MJ Antonini, the CEO of this Cambridge-based startup, explains that the innovative method is a result of a decade-worth of fiber technology research at MIT. Three patents secured during his academic stint at MIT led him to co-found NeuroBionics.
Given his education through the Harvard–MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology, Antonini combined two years of medical school at Harvard with extensive medical engineering and physics studies at MIT.
NeuroBionics’ technology may have a broad spectrum of applications in the future, including drug delivery, brain tissue ablation, and treatment for spinal cord and peripheral nervous system conditions.
Though promising, the actual applicability of the invention is still years away. After securing $5 million in funding, the company aims to finalize its clinical device. The subsequent challenge is to prove its safety and efficiency, initially in pigs due to their anatomical similarities to humans, before getting approval from the FDA.
Jurvetson views NeuroBionics’ technology as a potential game-changer in the area of deep brain stimulation and expects it will massively expand the market scope, making the treatment accessible to more hospitals and patients.
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