Neural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions (Ladan Jiracek)

In this last episode from my interviews from the 2018 Neural Interfaces Conference in Minneapolis I talk to Dr Jacob Robinson about his idea to image potentially millions of neurons in parallel using a lensless imaging technology utilizing diffraction interference. Using this, it could be possible to get highly developed off-the-shelf products from other fields to make parallel processing more powerful.

Apologies for the audio quality, the audio recorder data somehow got corrupted and I had to use the external microphone from the cameras which were filming the interview

Dr. Maria Asplund is a researcher in Freiburg, Germany who works mainly in PEDOT. She talks about the benefits of PEDOT as a coating for neural implants. It allows for functionalization of the surface as well as a better connection to brain cells. It has a porous surface as well as good conductance which means that you have a better signal. We then talk about the differences with carbon nanotube electrodes and the benefits of both.

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 elicit a response rectus femoris and the tibialis anterior muscles. The study found variability in electrode placement but some commonalities at the T11 level spinal circuit level. Let’s catch up with her in our interview.

Dimitry Sayenko from the Center for Neurogeneration at Houston Methodist Research Institute gave a talk about Neuromodulation of Spinal Networks to Recover Motor Function: Underlying Mechanisms and Clinical Translations.” His talk discussed the differences in the epidural spinal stimulation clinical trials being conducted at the University of Louisville, UCLA and at EPFL in Geneva Switzerland. There were differences among the labs but he found the key is enabling versus inducing movement with stimulation and argued that the intense exercise regimes from some of these studies is not necessary. Let’s listen in on his interview.

Takeaways:
Electrode placement, along with stimulation parameters plays an important part in the responses to transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation.

[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode with an interview by Jen French of Neurotech Reports with Christina Salchow-Hommen at RehabWeek 2019.
[1:10] Salchow-Hommen introduces herself and her affilitation with technology for people with impairments for restoration of mobility.
[1:38} Discussion of the importance of electrode placement, adjustment of stimulation parameters between the 5 volunteers and patient reported preferences for transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation for people with paralysis.
[3:35] Salchow-Hommen discusses the need to better monitor the brain during stimulation and better measurement tools to quantify reported feedback.
[4:44] Ladan introduces the episode with an interview by Jen French of Neurotech Reports with Dimitry Sayenko at RehabWeek 2019.
[5:17] Sayenko introduces himself and addresses his perspective of how the brain reacts to spinal cord stimulation for the restoration of motor response after paralysis due to SCI. Nearly 80% of spinal cord injuries result in some form of residual function.
[6:41] Involvement of the brain with restoration of movement along with neuroplasticity for connections in the brain.
[8:28] Coupling traditional therapy with spinal cord stimulation. He finds that the intense rehab is not necessary but the first few sessions are critical. Still the technology has an accumulative effect.
[9:45} Discussion of the introduction of electrical stimulation following a spinal cord injury. When to introduce it in therapy.
[10:50] Restoration of gait and the timing of stimulation. His lab found timing was not critical.
[11:50] The introduction of machine learning into this therapy would be helpful. Sayenko expresses his excitement at RehabWeek.

Colin Kealey is the President and CEO of NeuroSigma which is commercializing the Monarch eTNS System, the first non-drug treatment for pediatric ADHD cleared by the FDA. 

Top 3 Takeaways:

• NeuroSigma is commercializing the Monarch eTNS system, a wearable medical device that stimulates the trigeminal nerve on the forehead, as a treatment for neurologic and neuropsychiatric indications.
• The Monarch eTNS System is FDA cleared as a treatment for pediatric ADHD, ages 7 – 12. Clinical trials in this population show a response rate of 50% with a only mild side effects observed in clinical trials to date.
• NeuroSigma is also developing its eTNS technology for other indications including epilepsy and depression and is currently running two large double-blind randomized controlled trials in ADHD to expand the label into adolescents, and for using the device as adjunctive therapy.
•  

0:45 "Do you want to introduce yourself better than I just did?"

 7:15 What is the efficacy of your device?

8:45 "What are some typical side effects of pharmaceutical ADHD treatments and what are some typical side effects of your guys' treatment?"

16:45 That was the pharmaceutical side effects, how about the neurostimulator side effects?

20:00 How does it work sleeping with a wired system?

21:45 "Were you guys able to cross-reference with any other sleep metrics to see if the quality of sleep diminished or maybe even increased?"

24:30 What's the protocol for using this device?

26:30 Could adults use this also?

28:30 Will college students use this as a study aid?

29:30 "What does your funding look like?"

35:15 How will you prevent Chinese knockoffs?

38:30 " Is there anything that we didn't talk about that you wanted to mention?"

Welcome to the introductory episode of the Neural Implant podcast. I talk about the goals and aims of this podcast, to interview the leaders in the Brain Machine Interface field. The idea is to bring together the field of neuroprosthetics (brain machine interfaces? brain implants?) in an understandable conversation about the current topics and breakthroughs.
I hope to replace needing to read scientific papers on new research in an easy to digest way so people can share thoughts or ideas to facilitate 'idea sex.'
This will make the field of brain implants a smaller and more personal space

About me, Ladan Jiracek:

I am a recent Masters graduate in the field of Nanobiophysics with an undying passion for brain implants. I did an internship at Blackrock Microsystems many years ago and saw the potential in this field. My ultimate goal is to facilitate incredible learning like in the 'Matrix' so that people can download skills. I am also the host of another podcast, Travel Wisdom, about how travel can be more than a vacation but a learning experience. Through this I learned about the power of podcasts to meet and connect people in amazing ways!

Dr Cristin Welle is an Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado where they work on a tattoo-like EEG which can help measure whether or not a concussion has occurred. In this way, in sports or battlefield situations you can measure it and see whether you need to treat the patient. We also talk about some of the basics in Neural Implants so this is a nice refresher course for this field.

Dr Mounya Elhilali did the keynote talk at the NER Neural Engineering conference in Baltimore in 2023. I was able to sit down with her and talk to learn more about her auditory processing selectivity research.

Top 3 Takeaways:

•  Nurses especially can get used to beeping and alarms which can be dangerous for patients.
• "Under anesthesia, you see some basic responses, but they are different than when you engage the, let's say, an animal in an awake state, and then when they are awake and actually behaving and engaging with the system"
• Audio recordings can be tuned to remove ambient noise but they need to be perfectly calibrated to distances between microphones.

0:45 "Do you want to describe your work a little bit?"

3:00 Can you talk about the Cocktail Party Problem?

4:30 How are alarms and beeping override our attention

8:30 How do you gather your data, what kinds of devices?

10:00 What is the role of awake vs non-awake states in auditory processing?

11:15 How did you get into this?

13:00 How are you involved in the translation of the science?

16:15 Why are recordings harder to hear than in real life?

17:15 Is there anything we didn't talk about?

Dr Florian Solzbacher is the Co-Founder and Chairman of Blackrock Neurotech which has the Utah Electrode Array, the only FDA-approved neural implantable device. Blackrock Neurotech recently closed a $10 million financing round, led by Christian Angermayer's re.Mind Capital with participation from Peter Thiel, German entrepreneur Tim Sievers, and Sorenson Impact's University Venture Fund II.

Top 3 Takeaways

• "In the end, you have to have the drive. It has to be a passion. And then you will find a way because very often in life, you will find that, just when you need it, all that you really need is one door opening at the right time”
• "The worst thing that can happen to this field is this sort of Hollywood-type hype and associated fear… 'people put chips into our brain and then they can read my thoughts”
• "You need to understand that you stand and fall with a team"

2:00 "You got a round of $10 million. So do you want to talk about this?"

10:45 "So are you saying then that they're not as interested in the prosthetic side of things but they really want to improve the bandwidth between consciousness and machines?"

16:00 "What do you plan to do with the money? Because $10 million is a lot of money, but at the same time, it's not a lot of money. That's like what you were saying, that's two studies, right?"

17:30 "I'm curious to hear your history of the company and how it's progressed over the last few decades."

25:30 "What advice do you have for listeners who want to do not only science, not only neuroscience, but engineering, science, business, and development?"

33:45 " Is there anything that we didn't talk about that you wanted to mention?"

In this episode, we do our first Journal Club style episode where we go over a paper. We hope this can be useful to those who haven't read the paper as well as those who have and wanted to hear some outside opinions about the work.

This first week's paper is "Long-lasting increase in axonal excitability after epidurally applied DC"

Thanks to Ian Malone, Savannah Dewberry and Lauren Lester for presenting this paper

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 Bioelectronic Medicine Forum in New York on April 4th. To register, follow the hyperlink or call (415) 546-1259. If you mention the Neural Implant Podcast Channel, you will receive a free ebook written by Jennifer French and published by Neurotech Press.

Top Three Takeaways:

1. Body sensors in neural implants have unknown lifespans; their potential failure induces a sense of stress.
2. The implantation of electrodes involves invasive surgery and long recovery time; the development of more reliable electrodes and less invasive procedures is necessary.
3. There is a large risk concerning cybersecurity and tapping into wireless devices, such as pacemakers.

Show Notes:

[0:00] Ladan introduces Jennifer French from Neurotech Report; he also invites listeners to the 2019 Bioelectronic Medicine Forum in New York. To register, follow the hyperlink or call (415) 546-1259. If you mention the Neural Implant Podcast Channel, you will receive a free ebook written by Jennifer French and published by Neurotech Press.

[3:00] It is mentioned how sensor failure associated with closed-loop diabetes treatment induces stress.

[4:20] Different kinds of sensors in the body have unknown lifespans; they may or may not last very long.

[5:40] The developers for the original pacemaker created in the 1960s and 1970s by Medtronic relied on guessed parameters.

[8:00] Describing muscle stimulation, it is noted that muscles do not act in isolation; once one muscle is stimulated, another will act differently.

[9:25] Machinomite IST uses two channels to allow someone to stand and adds ankle movement as well.

[11:10] Network Neural Prosthesis (NNP) looks to build a network into the body in order to create modules and provide other functions.

[12:30] Jen French describes the controls of her neural prosthetic implant.

[14:55] The controls use buttons to activate muscles; there is usually a three-second delay for ramp-up.

[17:10] French describes the first implant she had in 1999 that included eight electrode channels.

[18:40] Many factors can lead to the failure of electrodes.

[20:10] French has gone through four major surgeries for her electrodes.

[22:10] When one gets electrodes put in, two major aspects are needed: the electrodes must be effective and they cannot shift.

[23:40] Doing research on higher mammals and moving towards minimally invasive procedures will improve the field of electrodes.

[25:10] Cuff electrodes use less power and allow for more flexibility.

[27:10] Black boxes for the electrodes often overheat.

[29:40] There is a large risk concerning cybersecurity and tapping into wireless devices, such as pacemakers.

[32:40] Society is getting to the point where it will soon be able to monitor implantable devices on mobile phones.

[37:10] French does not know her expectations concerning her implants because she is still participating in a clinical trial.

[40:10] Coming up with systemic ways of funding is necessary to ensure no patients are forgotten in clinical trials.

[42:10] Patients in failed clinical trials should be granted new opportunities.

[43:00] French constantly must stimulate her muscles via several techniques to prevent atrophy.

[45:10] French explains how the stimulation has affected her autonomic system.

[48:10] Autonomic systems are very much affected by spinal cord injuries.

[50:40] Aiming for easier targets in neural implant function may allow for more easily acquired secondary functions.

Dr Josh Siegle is a senior scientist working at the Allen Institute working on large-scale electrophysiology using tools like the Neuropixels probe. He is also heavily involved in the design and distribution of Open Ephys which is an open-source electrophysiology tool.

***This podcast is sponsored by Ripple Neuro, check out their Neuroscience Research Tools here***

Top three takeaways:

• "The dark matter problem is where the number of cells that we record is almost always less than the number of cells that we actually know to be in the tissue around the electrodes. This could be because there are neurons near the electrodes that just don't fire action potentials, their action potentials look very similar to other nearby neurons, or maybe the listening radius of our electrodes is not quite as large as we would expect it to be."
• "A big advantage of working at the Allen Institute is that we have very generous internal funding from Paul Allen. And so although we do apply for grants when it makes sense, for most people at the Allen Institute,  getting grant funding is not an existential threat to their research."
•  Open Ephys has recently started offering virtual 1-on-1 training sessions to help people get up and running with their tools. This is aligned with their goal of making open-source tools even more accessible throughout the neuroscience community.

0:45 Ladan introduces the episode and the guest, Dr. Josh Siegle

4:00 "What is the Neuropixels probe and how does it work? Why is it important?"

8:00 What capabilities does working with IMEC bring?

11:15 How exactly were you working with IMEC?

12:30 Sponsorship by Ripple Neuro

13:15 How does the pitch of the Neuropixels probe compare to biology?

16:45 What is the Allen Institute like?

20:15 What kind of mix of people work at the Allen Institute?

21:15 "What's the stated aims of the Institute again?"

22:00 What is the Open Ephys project you had worked on before?

27:45 What is the Open Ephys training like?

29:30 Do companies love or hate Open Ehpys?

31:00 "Is there anything that we didn't talk about that you wanted to mention?"

Richard Hanbury is the founder and CEO of Sana Health. Their device consists of a non-addictive mask and headphones that use stimulation to increase balance in the hemispheres of the brain. This leads to greater relaxation and can mitigate the effects of fibromyalgia, pain, anxiety, and depression. In this episode, Richard Hanbury discusses how Sana Health’s device can help users achieve relaxation. 

Top three takeaways: 

1. The Sana Health sleep mask and headphones use pulses of light and sound to help users get better sleep.  
2. By stimulating the left and right hemispheres of the brain to a balance, users can reach a deeply relaxed state. 
3. The device is sold on the basis of monthly subscriptions, with users even being given a free one-month trial period. 

[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode and the guest, Richard Hanbury.  

[2:20] Hanbury discusses upcoming clinical trials that assess how this wellness device helps with pain, anxiety, and depression. 

[6:00] A difference is seen in the EEG of a long-term meditator compared to those who rarely meditate, which was useful in the development of this device. 

[9:00] People experiencing long time chronic pain or anxiety tend to have a hemispheric imbalance. 

[11:00] Using the theory of brain hemisphere balancing, there have been promising results in the treatment of opioid use disorder and fibromyalgia. 

[13:40] The focus of the company shifted from being a solely sleep based company to neuropathic pain remedies. 

[15:50] New clinical trials are being done for FDA approval of the device with a larger sampling size, which has shown great results thus far. 

[17:30] Users can gain access to the device through monthly subscriptions, making it affordable to a larger amount of people. 

Rob Spence is a documentary film-maker. He lost his right eye as a child during a shotgun accident at his grandparents home. Thirteen years ago, he replaced his prosthetic eye with a wireless video camera. He continues to make improvements on the eye and has produced films about people living with bionic implants. In today’s episode, Rob talks to us about living with a camera implant and the fast-moving world of bionics.

Top three takeaways:

1. There’s room for improvement in the area of eye prosthetics, especially to increase the adoption of cameras that can restore vision for the completely visually impaired.
2. Ethics and privacy are big issues when you have a camera installed into your eye socket.
3. 3d printing has injected a new wave of possibility in the world of prosthetics

[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode and the guest, Rob Spence

[1:40] Rob Spence shares the story behind losing his eyes during a shotgun accident as a child.

[3:40] After living a few years with an eye patch, Rob, now a filmmaker, decided to get a prosthetic camera.

[6:50] Rob works with a team on improving the camera and making it better. He talks in detail about what goes into making a good ‘eye camera’.

[11:15]  On some of his filmmaking projects, Rob is giving enough creative freedom that he occasionally includes footage from his camera.

[13:20]  It’s difficult turning the ‘eye camera’ into a mass prosthetic product because each one has to be made custom for the wearer.

[18:50] For blind people, there’s some benefit in connecting an implanted camera to the optic nerve to restore some level of vision.

[24:00]  There is quite a bit of ethical consideration to keep in mind when you have a camera in your eye. People often bring up how it threatens the privacy of the people I capture with my eye.

[26:05] “I just have a hole in my head and I wanted to put a cool camera in there”

Nathan Copeland is a paraplegic neural implantee who has four Blackrock Utah electrode arrays implanted in his brain. He uses a robotic arm which has a wider functionality than a regular arm, and has even fist bumped the president with it. In this episode, he discusses his experiences being implanted and how using the implants has changed his life.

Top three takeaways:

1. When Nathan Copeland met President Obama and had a fist bump with him, he realized that the president was very interested in the science involved in his implants. He was able to connect personally with the president, and this reaffirmed the notion that the president is just a human being.
2. There are many different types of robotic arms with slightly different structures and functionalities, and different people may prefer different varieties. Some people prefer ones that look more anatomical, while others may prefer ones with a wider functionality.
3. Nathan Copeland initially had a fear of public speaking, but after giving presentations on his condition and the various robotic arms he used, he found that he was actually enjoying it more and more. In particular, he found it very fulfilling when people would tell him how inspired they were by his presentations, and this increased his enjoyment of public speaking.

[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode and the guest, Nathan Copeland

[3:20] Copeland describes the accident that led to C-5 quadriplegia and his time spent on a research registry to become a subject in the BCI study that gave him the implants

[5:45] Copeland discusses the screening process he had to go through to become a part of this study and how he knew he wanted to be a part of it despite his mother’s opposition to it

[9:30] Copeland talks about the pain and discomfort he went through following the implantation of the electrode arrays

[13:20] When Copeland went to meet President Obama, he was told that the president was “just a person”. When Copeland did meet the president, it was obvious that he seemed very interested in the science behind the implants and was able to bond with Copeland as a person.

[15:45] The training Copeland needed to use the robot limbs controlled by the implants was never something that he had to really work for

[18:45] The robotic arm that Copeland uses is a non-anatomical arm, and he likes it because it can move in his workspace in ways a regular anatomical arm cannot

[22:15] Different people may have different preferences in what they would want in a robotic arm – some would prefer a traditional anatomical arm, while others would want an arm with more functionality even if it looks unconventional

[25:00] One of Copeland’s biggest dreams that recently came true was to travel to Japan – he had wanted to visit Japan his whole life, and he knew that his condition would have made it very difficult

[28:30] Copeland used to have anxiety when it came to public speaking, but after giving his presentation on the robotic arms he has used, it gets easier for him the more he presents it. A lot of people have been inspired by his presentations, and he now very much enjoys the experiences.

[32:10] Copeland would like to see an improvement in the robotic arms used by the BCI systems

[35:30] Copeland has a YouTube channel called BCI Can Do Better where he demonstrates the various activities he can do with his BCI system, such as playing Final Fantasy XIV

Nathan Copeland’s email address is bcicandobetter@gmail.com

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:

1. Neural stimulation below levels of injury can greatly improve standing and walking performance in patients with spinal cord injury.
2. A good understanding of neuroscience/neurophysiology combined with knowing how to stimulate to best treat spinal cord injury will lead to the best outcome for treatment.
3. Collaboration between researchers and product users can lead to simpler products and solutions.

[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode and the guest Vivian Mushahwar, who gives an overview of her background and research interests

[3:30] Spinal cord spasticity consists of uncontrolled contractions which pose a problem for patient mobility. Plasticity can be induced in nerves through electrical stimulation, and this is used to treat spasticity.

[6:30] Vivian’s project involves putting fine implants in spinal cord, stimulate networks below level of injury, to help with standing and walking

[9:15] Tissue is being deformed whenever it is stretched/strained, particularly muscle, and people shift posture/position constantly to prevent muscle deformation

[11:30] The SmartyPants technology is designed to contract muscle periodically to prevent deformation which could lead to pressure ulcers

[15:00] The SmartyPants technology has been stalled due to intellectual property disputes, and this is upsetting those who invested in the original technology

[18:00] Deep vein thrombosis is a condition that could lead to deadly blood clots, and is caused by insufficient movement. Similar to SmartyPants, Vivian is working to develop a sock to prevent the formation of DVT

[19:50] Simultaneous arm/leg cycling in exercise after spinal cord injury can double the improvement in walking

[21:30] Engaging in communication and collaboration between different departments and the product users can lead to simpler solutions

Dr. Andrew Jackson of Newcastle University talks about some of the advantages of using Local Field Potentials instead of measuring neuronal spikes. by using 100x less bandwidth you can reduce the energy required by an implant which would make wireless devices much more feasible. 

Iain McIntyre is the CEO and co-founder of Humm. Humm creates devices such as the Bioelectric Memory Patch that use electricity to stimulate the brain. The disposable forehead device has shown to cause an increase in brain functionality and memory. 

In this episode, Iain McIntyre discusses how the Humm Bioelectric Memory Patch provides a brain-boost. 

Top three takeaways: 

1. When this device improves your working memory, it is improving your capabilities to focus, multitask, and acquire new skills. 
2. The Humm Bioelectric Memory Patch brings neuromodulation to a cheaper and smaller design compared to traditional devices. 
3. The benefits of use compound over time; even in the beginning stages, 15 minutes of use could provide up to two hours of mental performance improvement. 

[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode and the guest, Iain McIntyre.  

[2:50] The Bioelectric Memory Patch device works by delivering tACS to stimulate the prefrontal cortex and improve working memory.

[5:00] The research studies done at Berkeley showed that users of the patch had a 20% increase in working memory effectiveness.  

[8:20] McIntyre describes it as a compound interest transaction, the more the patch is used, the greater the benefits each time. 

[11:10] Humm can provide results in a safe manner where there are rarely side effects due to the low amount of current. 

[14:00] While trials and data collection currently assess healthy users; in the future, the project will be used to help with neurological diseases. 

[17:00] Interestingly, the test groups that were found to have the most need for such a device are college students and the elderly. 

[21:10] With a 15-minute session, you can achieve an hour and a half of noticeable brain activity improvement.  

Dr David Friedenberg works at Batelle which is an interesting company with a kind of profit/nonprofit model. In this episode we talk about some software and hardware changes they made in order for a patient to have gradual muscle control. That way if the patient wanted to grip an egg he would be able to do more than simply crush the egg or to drop it.

Dr Harbi Sohal is a rising star in the field of Neural Implants. He recently won the Forbes 30 under 30 for scientists. At 29, he has also recently become an Assistant Professor at the Feinstein Institute in New York. He has worked with previous guests Dr Andrew Jackson and Dr Ed Boyden and is now working with Dr Chad Bouton. He is working on all the big things in this field: Glial scarring reduction, optogenetics, and bioelectronic medicine.

Dr Sohal also generously provided his Feedly subscriptions. Feedly is an RSS feed which delivers daily news to you on the news in the Neural Implant field. 

Hopefully this is easy to download, otherwise, send me an email at neuralimplantpodcast@gmail.com and I can send it to you

Dr. Tim Marzullo is an engineer and co-founder of Backyard Brains, which seeks to develop technologies to make learning about neurophysiology easy and fun. In this episode, he discusses some such technologies at SfN Neuroscience 2019.

Top three takeaways:

1. Backyard Brains creates scientific technology that can be easily used by high school students to learn more about science (and win science fairs😊)
2. Recent technologies have taught us that there is a whole molecular and electrical world within plants that has not been fully realized until recently
3. Thanks to technology such as the Arduino microcontroller, one does not need specialized training in Matlab or LabVIEW to learn and investigate neurophysiology

[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode and the guest, Tim Marzullo, at SfN Neuroscience 2019

[1:15] Dr. Marzullo gives a background on Backyard Brains and an example of an invention they are developing involving a Venus Flytrap

[4:30] Dr. Marzullo discusses the learning curve of this technology and the level of difficulty involved in learning how to use it

[7:15] The use of this technology by graduate and PhD students is discussed

[10:30] There is a whole molecular and electrical world going on inside plants that had previously been thought of as static beings, and is only now beginning to be explored and appreciated

[12:30] Someone at Backyard Brains had recently attached 9 electrodes to himself and played World of Warcraft, in order to test out muscle-electrode interfaces

[14:00] Thanks to the easy-to-use Arduino microcontroller, it is getting easier to investigate neurophysiology

At the 2018 Neural Interfaces Conference poster session, I met with Bin Feng of the University of Connecticut where he talked about the increased nerve conduction velocity using ultrasound. Ultrasound apparently can increase the speed of the nerve transmission even taking out such factors such as increased thermal energy from the inputted ultrasound

Dr. Robert Riener is a professor at ETH Zurich in Switzerland. His research involves exoskeletons, brain-computer interfaces, and EEG. He is also in charge of running the Cybathlon in ETH Zurich, which is an Olympic-like event where patients with disabilities compete, using assistive robotic devices. In this episode, he discusses the Cybathlon, its events, and its goals and purpose.

Top three takeaways:

1. The Cybathlon is a major athletic competition where the participants use assistive robotic devices and prosthetics to compete in the events, which are centered around daily life activities.
2. The main purpose of the Cybathlon is to promote inclusion of people with disabilities.
3. Most of the teams are developing specific technologies to participate in the Cybathlon, so this event has also helped spark a movement in creating new robotic technologies.

[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode and the guest, Dr. Robert Riener

[2:20] Riener discusses his research and how the robotic devices that he researches work

[6:30] Cybathlon is an athletic competition for disabled people who use robotic devices; there are several events including the brain-computer interface race

[9:00] Russia also enjoys this event, and is coordinating their own similar event. President Putin has stated that he is willing to organize the next international Cybathlon event in Russia in 2024.

[12:30] The most important goal of the Cybathlon is to support the inclusion of people with disabilities into athletic events

[15:00] The obstacle courses in the events are centered around daily life events; for example, an activity for patients with arm prosthetics may involve the use of the BCI arm to manipulate and carry objects

[18:30] The awards in the competition include not only a medal and a cup, but also the honor of participating, and the “Swiss experience”

[21:00] “Techno-doping” is approved, and even encouraged, as long as it is done in a safe manner

[25:00] About 80% of the teams competing in the Cybathlon are developing completely new technologies, or are updating existing technologies

[28:20] This could be the biggest brain-computer interface event that’s ever happened

Jeremy Magland and James Jun are researchers at the Flatiron Institute whose work involves spike sorting for analysis of large recorded neuronal data sets. In this episode, at the SfN 2019 Conference, they discuss the Flatiron Institute, spike sorting and the various algorithms involved in it, as well as an open-source algorithm the Flatiron Institute has developed for spike sorting and how it works.

Top three takeaways:

1. The Flatiron Institute, a division of the Simons Foundation, uses modern computing tools to advance scientific understanding, and they provide open-source code to aid labs in data analysis.
2. Spike sorting algorithms take recorded extracellular data and use statistical methods to group it into clusters, from which it determines the number of neurons that are firing. The difference in clustering and sorting depends on the specific type of analysis the algorithm runs.
3. MountainSort is an open-source spike sorting software that is distinct in that it doesn’t require as many input parameters as other algorithms do.

[0:40] Ladan introduces the episode and the guests, James Jun and Jeremy Magland, at SfN 2019; Jun gives his background and what he is studying

[3:40] Jun explains how spike sorting uses extracellular recordings to receive signals from different neurons at once

[4:55] Magland gives his background and what he is studying

[8:05] There’s a rainbow

[9:10] Magland and Jun explain some advantages/benefits of the Flatiron Institute, a research division of the Simons Foundation; the institute creates open-source software to help labs with spike sorting

[11:40] Jun discusses the Simons Foundation, how they started, how they created the Flatiron Institute, and the types of projects they fund

[14:10] MountainSort is the open-source spike sorting algorithm developed by Flatiron which clusters spikes by using a statistical method to detect differences in spike densities and separate the neurons accordingly. This doesn’t require adjustable parameters as input, unlike other software.

[16:40] Jun discusses some differences in certain spike sorting algorithms and the type of analysis they use to sort spikes into different clusters and differentiate the neurons

[19:55] Magland and Jun are looking forward to enhanced hardware and computing capabilities that improve the speed and accuracy of spike sorting

I talked to Christopher Thomas today about his job as a Science Writer at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). How he went from being a graduate student to working as someone in media for the government. Since this is a new career path on this podcast we talk about the steps to get there and what others can do if they are interested in doing something similar.

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 RehabWeek and had a conversation about the company, the rehabilitation science of the PoNS device and where it is going in the future.

Takeaways:
Harnessing neuroplasticity in rehabilitation stimulation must be paired with an activity.
Clinical interfaces need to intuitive and easy to use for the clinician.
How is your brain today? Can we bring people to check their brain health like they check their smartphone?

[0:00] Introduction and Jen French from Neurotech Reports kicks off the conversation RehabWeek exhibit floor at Helius Medical.
[0:25] Kim Skinner introduces herself and Helius Medical and new PoNS device. She worked in the initial research for the device.
[1:12] Description of the PoNS device components, how it works and the target indications and clinical application of mild to moderate brain injury with chronic balance deficits. They designed a 14-week rehabilitation program harnessing neuroplasticity.
[4:10] Further discussion about application of the technology to other indications that have balance issues. Their initial focus is on the brain injury population, but more research needs to be done on how this can benefit other populations.
[5:18] Discussion of the design of their clinical trials and some of the challenges associated with that both in the clinical and at home. They have a training template that can be individualized for each patient.
[6:39] Skinner further describes the training protocols and when to stimulation to maximize outcomes couples with balance training and movement exercises to prime the brain.
[8:26] The stimulating device goes onto the tongue rather than skin. How does that feel or taste? She also talks about the stimulation pattern and parameters as well as
[9:53] Discussion of the 143 electrode array design and how they mapped the tongue to figure out the stimulating rate.
[12:19] The visual substitution device was the predecessor of this device and how it evolved out of the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
[13:16] Skinner talks about where the PoNS device is currently available with a prescription and how they are working on availability in the US, Europe and Australia. It is currently approved in Canada through the HeuroCanada clinics.

Kevin Tracey returns to the podcast to give an update about his work at the Feinstein Institutes and the work at SetPoint Medical.

Top 3 Takeaways:

• "Two years we discovered that a drug called Famotidine, which is sold as a generic drug Pepcid AC is actually a pharmacological or a drug-based vagus nerve stimulator. And we proved first in mice that famotidine placed directly in very small amounts placed directly in the brains of mice activates the vagus nerve. And this in turn turned off cytokine storm, which of course is a big problem in Covid 19"
• "A company that I've co-founded, Setpoint Medical, is currently deep into clinical trials in the United States called ResetRA, which is on clinical trials.gov or on the SetPoint website for rheumatoid arthritis patients. And that trial is enrolling many patients up to, I think 250 patients will be studied according to the websites and we're hoping that goes very well. And we're hoping, I'm hoping that leads to FDA approval for vagus nerve stimulation in the US in the coming days or coming in the coming months"
• "I think we're very close now to vagus nerve stimulation becoming a reality for millions of patients. And I, I hope, and I see a time when patients have the. Of  choosing vagus nerve stimulation as a simple, safe therapy instead of dangerous, expensive drugs with black box warnings that are minimally effective."

0;30 "Do you wanna introduce yourself and talk about some of your work, especially as neuromodulation pertains to the immune system?"

2:45 "So the last time when we talked it was 2020. So pandemic, everything was upside down. But then you were telling me before we started recording that it was also especially busy for you at that time. So what were you up to around then?"

6:00 What were the quantitative takeaways of the Famotidine Covid trials?

8:15 "Why didn't it become standard practice?"

11:00 "You're saying the famotidine has this effect on the vagus nerve. Does this mean we no longer need vagus nerve stimulators? Can we just take Pepcid, AC?"

15:00 Do you want to talk about the Bioelectronic Medicine Summit?

17:30 What were some of the highlights of the Summit?

 19:30 "You mentioned some interesting results. Is that something you can share now or is that something that we should be on the lookout for?"

21:30 "You were also featured recently in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, what was that like and what were the articles about?"

23:15 "So what's exciting you now for 2023 and what's on the horizon for you for the next few years?"

27:15 "Is there anything that we didn't talk about that you wanted to mention?"

Dr. Jessica Robin is a scientist at Winterlight Labs. Winterlight Labs is a speech analytics company based in Ontario, Canada. They use applied healthcare technology to assess Alzheimer’s and dementia progression. In this episode, Dr. Jessica Robin discusses how voice samplings can be used to make predictions about diseases. 

Top three takeaways: 

1. Dr. Jessica Robin and her team give patients a picture to look at, and the patient describes what they see, giving them speech data to analyze.
2. Current projects include mining interviews of celebrities for data showing alterations in speech as a prediction to Alzheimer’s. 
3. The data collected ranges from unstructured and structured speech to assess the acoustics, pacing, and syntax. 

[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode and the guest, Dr. Jessica Robin.  

[2:50] Just one minute of speech can give over 500 variables of speech data to analyze. 

[3:40] This type of technology can be applied to presidential speeches, and studies show that it is useful in observing healthy versus Alzheimer’s patients’ voices. 

[4:50] While certain conditions of voice samples such as previously prepared speeches do not provide the choice of syntax, acoustic and cadence data can be observed instead. 

[7:00] Dr. Jessica Robin wishes to expand into psychiatric disorders since aspects of a person’s mental state are reflected in how they speak.  

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:

1. Communicating with your end user is critically important in solving challenges with medical technologies.
2. One major improvement in most medical technologies is the increase in affordability of these technologies for patients.
3. Improving the industry and technology is more important than monetary gain.

[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode and David Pitino

[0:45] Summary of opportunities and barriers in the technological and innovation space

[3:30] It is important for developers to speak with the user of their technology

[4:45] Pitino discusses his partnership with Not Impossible Labs and how they “solve absurdities”, gives example of person who cannot afford eye-tracker technology

[7:30] Impact is not measured in monetary value but in how industries are improved and how technology is made more affordable for patients

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:

1. Microprobes for Life Science creates customizable neurotechnology focusing on electrodes.

2. All products are handmade by highly trained technicians and experience extreme testing.

3. The company has experienced steady growth at 6-8% and seeks to enter the clinical market.

Show Notes:

[0:00] Martin Bak introduces himself as the founder of Microprobes for Life Science.

[3:50] Nicolas Alba introduces himself as the Chief Operating Officer of Microprobes for Life Science.

[5:00] It is explained how the company uses traditional hand-manufacturing techniques to make customizable products.

[8:00] It is described how the products must be precise and flawless—most technicians have been trained for more than ten years.

[10:00] All products must go through extreme testing; the products envelop the forefront of new techniques.

[15:00] Microprobes for Life Science uses the skills of technicians to take the long route and make products that emulate quality.

[17:00] Their business approach takes advantage of hand-making products and training technicians.

[18:30] The company focuses on electrodes to be able to support the neuroprosthetic community the best way possible.

[20:00] Microprobes for Life Science has experienced 6-8% steady growth since conception.

[22:00] The company seeks to enter the clinical market which may be more stable.

[23:00] The field has an excellent opportunity for entrepreneurship and has many interesting people that will help humanity.

This month's neurotech industry podcast features some highlights from the 2019 Neurotech Leaders Forum that took place November 4-5, 2019 In San Francisco. This is a two -day event focusing on the opportunities, trends and entrepreneur ventures in the industry. Here's what is featured:

1. The Neurotech Reports roundtable was a lightning round session of topics with commentary and input from the editorial team. Topics included:
2. How should the industry respond to negative press?
3. How to ensure reimbursement for new neurotech devices?
4. What are some lessons learned from the opioid crisis?
5. Featuring the winners of the 2019 Gold Electrode awards. These are people and ventures that have made a significant contribution to the industry and those to watch in the future. The awards are given in 5 categories. Plus, this year the coveted Lifetime Achievement award was given to Elliott Krames.

Kelly Roman is the cofounder and CEO of Fisher Wallace Laboratories. Since 2007, their revolutionary Stimulator device helps all types of patients cope with mental illness through brain stimulation. In this episode, Mr. Roman emphasizes maintaining science as a priority while building a sustainable business. 

Top three takeaways:

1. The biomarker studies completed using the Fisher Wallace Stimulator have shown increases in serotonin and endorphins with a  decrease in cortisol and stress hormone. 
2. The Stimulator has a 70-75% success rate with almost no side effects. 
3. With a low maximum output and safe product placement variability, the Stimulator is a very user-friendly device. 

[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode and the guest, Kelly Roman. 

[1:30] Roman discusses the beginnings of how the Fisher Wallace Stimulator came to be.  

[4:15] A Mount Sinai study showed that compared to patients given a placebo device, those using the Fisher Wallace Stimulator saw improvement in their mental illness symptoms. 

[6:30] Alternating current used in the stimulator allows for brainwave entrainment, which leaves the brain in the desired brainwave state even after stimulation has stopped. 

[8:25] Patients are reporting 70-75% success rate when treating at  least one symptom. 

[11:30] The next step for the company is to compile MRI and imagery data using the device.

[14:00]  The Stimulator device is inexpensive due to highly effective commercialization and lack of needed doctor administration. 

[16:25] For safety, there is a low output current that still maintains clinical effects. 

[19:20] Roman explains the process of acquiring the intellectual property for the device and the company’s beginnings. 

[21:50]  Due to Roman’s digital marketing experience and many prominent drugs becoming generic, sales for Fisher Wallace’s  new device went well. 

Dr. Rio Vetter is the Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at NeuroNexus. Dr. Alexis Paez is the Director of Science Outreach at NeuroNexus. NeuroNexus hosted a virtual conference in mid-November. In this episode, Dr. Rio Vetter and Dr. Alexis Paez discuss the NeuroNexus Symposium. 

Top three takeaways: 

1.  The NeuroNexus Symposium had themes for each day including neural interface technology, neurophysiology, optogenetics, and optical microscopy techniques. 
2.  The symposium included attendees from over 36 countries and over 1700 participants.
3. There have been great advancements in optogenetics concerning non-human primates. 

[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode and the guests, Dr. Rio Vetter and Dr. Alexis Paez.  

[4:30]  The reason for the symposium was to bring researchers together during the time of COVID. 

[9:20] In the future, they hope to expand to include more projects and involve even more people. 

[13:30] The future of electrotechnology is to increase the bandwidth and number of electrodes. 

[20:30]  Dr. Alexis Paez discusses the optogenetics presentations that were given. 

[25:11]  Dr. Rio Vetter summarizes the presentations given about optical microscopy techniques. 

[30:00] Considering time zone differences is important in creating the schedule for the symposium.  

 [35:00] Virtual components could become an important factor in future conferences once in-person events occur.

Dr Tim Marzullo is the Cofounder of Backyard Brains which uses simple (and cheap) technology to demonstrate neuronal activity to those without labs. It's aimed at high schools and Universities to show kids how brain activity works to hopefully spark their interest. We talk about the difficulties in doing a startup but the aid that grants can have along the way.

Be sure to check out their TED talk, it's really funny!

I had a great time at the Society for Neuroscience conference in Washington DC and it was great to hear that the podcast is so well received! 

"You came out of nowhere but are doing a great job!" Was the general sentiment from many talks with fans of the podcast

Straight from DC I went to Mumbai India and I will be travelling here for the next 6-8 months. Therefore my podcasts will be released on a slower schedule due to time and internet bandwidth constraints. 

I did 9 video interviews and will be slowly working on getting the audio and video up. The thing is, the video side Is 120gb which I have to upload into the video editor... lets just say that's about 119gb more than I can upload per day here on Indian internet! 

So thanks so much for giving me so much verbal support at the conference! I'm glad you like it and it really motivated me to continue! 

We were able to have this interview in person at the Human Brain Project Conference in Glasgow, Scotland. It was the first of my in person video interviews I hope to make and it was a new medium. You can watch the video here

In this interview Dr Mitra talked about his previous work with electronically selectable neural probes. These probes had about 1500 electrodes which could be turned on or off depending on the quality of the connection. He also worked on CMOS electronics which could be put at the end of the probe which could reduce the data transmission (and heat) by 10x.

Dima Gazda is the CEO and founder of Esper Bionics which is a company that makes a prosthetic arm that gains abilities overtime with you. They plan to use this 'simple' neurotech solution to springboard them solve other larger neurotech problems.

***This podcast is sponsored by Iris Biomedical, check out their Neurotech Startup Services here***

Top 3 Takeaways:

•  We are building an ecosystem and will be building more products in addition to the robotic arm. Next will be a better user control system and then a robotic leg
• A physician can only add about 3000 patient-years of life but an engineer and entrepreneur can add millions because their inventions can impact more people
• Neurotechnology will be as big of a change for humanity as cars and computers were

0:30 Do you want to introduce yourself?

4:45 "So what is more difficult than a prosthetic arm that has many degrees of freedom?"

7:15 "Do you want to describe the device?"

8:30 "Does that improvement of control work only for a single user?"

10:30 How has the Russia-Ukraine conflict affected you as you are from Ukraine?

12:15 "Have you had any agreements with any governments like the Ukrainian government to recover injured soldiers?"

13:30 "What are some what are some of your biggest challenges?"

14:45 Iris Biomedical ad sponsorship

15:30 "Do you have any timelines?"

17:15 Do you want to talk about the number of lives improved by being an engineer versus being a physician?

22:00 What's the technology that would add a billion patient lives in the next 10 years?

29:00 "Is there anything that we didn't talk about that you wanted to mention?"

Contact

dg@esperbionics.com

JoJo Platt is the founder of Behind the Bench, a Neurotech News outlet, as well as a Platt & Associates where she consulted for places like Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. In this episode, she discusses how she developed her network and formed Behind the Bench, as well as recruiting in the field of bioelectronic medicine and what it takes to get hired.

Top three takeaways:

1. Platt’s mission is to help promote and coalesce the field of bioelectronic medicine within the greater field of neurotechnology eventually led her to gain a large network, and to create Behind the Bench as a platform to publish research information and get to know researchers better
2. Getting recruited for a desired job is mostly about your skill set and abilities, rather than how well known you are or how much you post on Twitter
3. If you want a position in a lab, it is best to personally reach out to the P.I., but make sure that you are a match for the job based on your skill set

[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode and the guest, JoJo Platt

[0:30] Platt discusses her background and new project involving Behind the Bench

[4:00] Platt discusses her role as a strategic development consultant at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research as well as some of her achievements

[6:30] Platt discusses recruiting neurotech consulting clients and learning important names in the field of bioelectronic medicine

[9:00] Having a good set of skills is more important than writing a lot or being well-known in the field

[10:30] If you want a research position, reach out to P.I. personally, but also make sure that you are truly a fit for the position based on your skills and experiences

[13:00] Getting the right person and the right fit takes work, but it pays off in the end

Today's guest is Stephen Ho from Blackrock Microsystems. While we've featured Blackrock guests before, Stephen's appearance today is driven by his podcast, Neurratives, where neurotech-inspired movies are reviewed and discussed.

  Top 3 Takeaways:

• "Our goal for the podcast isn't necessarily to be overly technical, requiring a neuroscience degree to understand. We're often deep in the subject matter and may get a bit jargony, but broadly, we aim to be accessible without pretending to be accomplished neuroscience researchers."
• “Due to the subject's nature, movies dealing with neuroscience themes often lean heavily towards science fiction. So, I make a conscious effort to seek out romantic comedies, medical dramas, or family dramas as a palate cleanser between sci-fi films.”
• “I tend to be relaxed regarding accuracy in science and technology in movies, though I do point out inaccuracies when I notice them. However, I don't always see this as detrimental to the movie itself. Some tropes bother me, like percutaneous connectors seen in "The Matrix" and "Ghost in the Shell." They seem impractical and unsanitary.”

2:00 Let’s hear about the Neurratives podcast

4:14 What does a normal podcast episode look like?

7:30 What are some notable movies?

10:30 What are your qualifications to talk about neurotech movies?

12:15 Did you ever feel imposter syndrome?

14:00 Will you ever run out of movies?

16:00 Would listening to Neurratives be better before or after watching the movie?

16:45 What should movie directors either start or stop doing for neurotech movies?

 21:15 Anything else that we didn’t talk about that you wanted to mention?

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 the field of neuroprosthetics in order to ensure the progression of the field.

Top Three Takeaways:

1. The goal of his work is to make usable sensory prosthetics for people that need them in a reasonable time period.

2. There are a number of technical issue in neuroprosthetics; delivering commercial quality systems that pass regulations needs funding.

3. Patients often dedicate the most to any clinical trial by offering most of their time.

Show Notes:

[0:00] Gaunt describes the panel from the conference meant to describe patient perspectives on clinical trials.

[2:00] Gaunt makes clear that the patients have dedicated very much of their time to the trials.

[2:50] Gaunt introduces himself formerly and describes how he is from the University of Pittsburgh.

[4:10] Gaunt describes his work with the Biomedical Engineering Department at the University of Alberta on brain/bladder control.

[6:00] Gaunt describes how the bladder control is a highly sensory function.

[7:50] It is explained how fully implantable wireless system would be a very strong stride for neurotechnology.

[9:40] Usable prosthetic arms can benefit people in doing everyday tasks.

[11:00] Gaunt explains how there are a number of technical challenges in the neuroprosthetic field—delivering commercial quality systems that pass regulations needs funding.

[12:00] Gaunt goes into detail on projects for amputees and control for their prosthetics.

[14:00] Anyone interested in the field of neuroprosthetics should love it and find a problem they wish to solve.

[17:40] People wishing to start a business in this field must have a good business plan and funding.

[19:00] Gaunt points out how collaboration and team science is very important for innovation.

At the Neural Interface poster session, I was able to talk to William Huffman of the Warren Grill lab at Duke University about the reduction of invasive surgery using ultrasound guiding. This reduces the need for larger and more invasive surgeries which are of course much less damaging to the animal or the patient

 "Welcome to today's episode! Our guest, Paul Le Floch, co-founder and CEO of Axoft, brings innovation to neural implants. With roots in France and a Harvard PhD, he's leading groundbreaking work. Welcome, Paul!"

 Top 3 Takeaways:

• "It's a good time to ask the question: What if we could develop solutions tailored for this problem instead of borrowing from the semiconductor industry? That's what Axsoft is about. We emphasize developing soft materials that offer better long-term biocompatibility. Additionally, these materials are suitable for micro and nano fabrication and remain stable inside the brain."
• "The advantage is that when we identify something that doesn't work well, we can modify it because we designed the materials. The key is that we've developed an innovation that functions effectively, but we also acknowledge that it's not the final version of the system. The difference is that we can revisit it at the polymer chemistry level and alter the material's composition, structure, or introduce additives to enhance stability or mechanical properties."
• "At early stage, there is iteration. There is improvement over time. And at some point you need to take this leap of faith that your technology actually has a good edge, that you have enough, you will have enough resources to make it competitive. And I think we were confident enough about that and about our approach."

0:30 Can you introduce yourself better than I just did?

1:00 Is Axoft a spinoff?

5:00 How do you know your material is better?

9:00 Why did you go the startup route vs the academia route with this technology?

12:30 How do you let investors know that this is a long term startup?

14:00 Why did you choose the dilutive vs nondilutive route?

15:30 What indication is the material best for?

17:00 Where are you guys in terms of the lifecycle?

19:45 How big is the team and what are current challenges?

22:30 Where do you see neurotech in 10 years?

23:45 Anything that we didn’t talk about that you wanted to mention?

Dr Eric Daniel Glowacki is a research group leader at the Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC) located in Brno, Czech Republic. There he studies neural implant fabrication and materials specializing in silicon, parylene, and polyimide devices. He has also started to designs and fabricate devices on a contract basis for other research groups and companies.

And, his institute is the one that has been recently sponsoring the podcast!

This podcast is sponsored by CEITEC Nano, check out their Neurotech Device Manufacturing Capabilities here

Top 3 Takeaways:

• "You can just buy stuff on the internet very simple red LED arrays. So you don't have to bother with aiming because you just put this this light source roughly over the area of interest and, and you can hit the target without having to try very hard."

• "Most of the time we're pretty fast. If someone sends us a design we can print photo masks in a day or two. That's the slowest step."

• "And it turns out that the beat frequency can actually stimulate neurons. So you can use these high frequency carrier waves to get in. And then use this constructive interference to actually stimulate to stimulate excitable tissue."

1:15 "Mr. Sponsor, do you want to, do you want to talk about you yourself? What your institute does?"

3:00 "Photovoltaic, transcutaneous neurostimulation. What are the details of that? "

5:15 "How does this compare to other wireless ultrasonics, magnetics, anything else?"

8:15 "What kind of light density would you need?"

9:15 What was your career arc?

12:00 Do you want to talk about Polyimide, Paryle and these other materials?

16:15 CEITEC Nano Ad Sponsorship

17:00 "Talk about your services a little bit"

19:15 What does the contracting process look like if someone wants you to make them devices?

21:45 "Can you talk about the price differences?"

23:30 "Have you thought about opening it up to neurotech companies?" 

25:30 Do you want to talk about your success despite you having moved around to many institutes?

28:00 "What do you see as the future of neurotech?"

32:15 "Is there anything that we didn't talk about that you wanted to mention?"

Blythe Karow is a medical device veteran who is now the cofounder and CEO of Evren Technologies, a medical device company making a wearable Vagus Nerve Stimulator to help with the problems brought about by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Top 3 Takeaways

• Not only veterans but first responders often get PTSD and 1/9 women will have it at some point in their lives
• Stimulating the auricular (ear) branch of the Vagus nerve has fewer side effects but with a calming effect on the body
• Diagnosing and curing PTSD is very difficult and subjective

1:15 "Do you want to introduce yourself and the technology?"

2:30 "You spun out of the University of Florida and then you were able to license it, what did that look like? "

3:30 "So you have some background in medical devices, you saw the potential in this and then you were looking to do something new? 

5:00 "What were you looking for and what were the acceptance criteria?"

6:00 "So how does this work? What are some of the effects of vagus nerve stimulation?"

9:00 "So it is this calming effect, you're able to flip that stress response back to normal with the PTSD patients. Is that a one-time thing? Is that a one-time flip or does it have to be re flipped?"

11:00 "PTSD is very hard to quantify, right? How is that currently done?"

13:00 "So what are the current treatments for it?"

15:30 "So what's your device and how does it work? And how do you know that you're stimulating the Vagus nerve? "

19:30 "You guys are still in the prototyping phase and then you have to get FDA approval for this, what are the next steps for the company?"

21:15 "What are some I guess are your biggest challenges?"

23:30 "Would they have to get it as a prescription through a doctor? Would they be able to buy it on Amazon?"

24:15 "Is there anything that we didn't talk about that you wanted to mention?"

Dr. Kevin Tracey is the president and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. He is very well-known and well-cited for his seminal research within the field of neuromodulation, particularly as it relates to the immune response. In this episode, he discusses the current progress being made in the field of bioelectronic medicine, as well as how it compares to pharmaceutical treatments.

Top three takeaways:

1. The power in bioelectronic medicine is in the fact that rather than sending out a drug into the body and hoping it affects the target area, the target is identified and the device is designed and manufactured around it.
2. Since testing in mice is an important precursor to human clinical trials, the field of bioelectronic medicine has been greatly slowed down by the lack of available tools for device implantation in mice.
3. The field of bioelectronic medicine is in its early stages with regard to clinical testing; as such, its efficacy relative to pharmaceutical approaches is not yet fully understood.

[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode and the guest, Dr. Kevin Tracey

[2:00] Tracey discusses his background in research in bioelectronic medicine and neuromodulation in the immune system

[6:00] What’s so powerful about bioelectronic medicine is that it’s scalable, replicable, and generates testable hypotheses. The device is designed around the target.

[9:00] Side effects are the main limiting factor for drugs. With devices, the side effects are easier to understand and manage since a specific nerve and region are targeted, as opposed to drugs, which have a systemic effect.

[12:30] Tracey co-founded SetPoint Medical with Dr. Shaw Warren, and it was founded to establish a mechanism to test the idea of harnessing the inflammatory reflex in human clinical trials

[16:45] When stimulating the vagus nerve, several fibers are stimulated. Despite this, controlling the amount of current delivered through stimulation can control which organs (such as the heart or spleen) are affected.

[20:30] The field of bioelectronic medicine has been slowed down by the absence of available tools that can be used for mice

[23:45] Bioelectronic medicine is still in its early stages and is new in terms of clinical testing and adoption; at this point, we don’t fully know its efficacy relative to pharmaceuticals

[27:00] One study found that patients who have not responded to drugs or to vagus nerve stimulation did respond when a combination of the two was used

[31:00] The advantage of targeting close to the organ is more localized stimulation, but the disadvantage is that some of these organs are difficult to access

[34:00] The mission of the Feinstein Institute for Bioelectronic Medicine is to produce the necessary knowledge in bioelectronic medicine to cure disease

[37:00] The new labs the Feinstein Institute is building are investigating the neural control of drug targets, neural information processing, sensory and motor signals to nerves, and previously unrecognized neurons that control aspects of the immune response

Dr. Tom Mortimer of Case Western University looks back on 50 years of Neural Control and hopes to teach future generations the basics of his research. He is currently putting together his course on Applied Neural Control which is free for now.

In today's episode, we're joined by Carles Garcia-Vitoria, a seasoned pain physician with a unique approach to his work. With extensive experience in regional anesthesia and pain management, Carles shares insights gained from his years of practical experience as he pursues his PhD in Spain.

 Top 3 Takeaways:

• "We believe we have the opportunity to target the site of action more effectively. That's why we've founded Spinally, the startup we're currently leading. Our goal is to pioneer intrathecal spinal cord stimulation."
• "The Dura Mater is highly elastic, closing approximately 80-90% within the first 30 seconds after trauma. Additionally, with improved intrathecal access and emission capabilities, we can utilize thinner implants—reducing implant thickness from 1.3 to 0.5 millimeters. This minimizes trauma to the meningeal sac even further."
• "We can leverage new fabrication capabilities to minimize implants and achieve highly effective pain relief. Our models, along with others, indicate that we can stimulate deeper layers of the spinal cord with intrathecal electrode positioning, enhancing our ability to listen to deeper neuronal tracts. This advancement is poised to make significant waves in the pain management field within a year."

0:45 Can you introduce yourself better than I just did?

1:15 What advantages of neurotechnology do you see in the pain market?

 3:15 What does the pain treatment process using neuromodulation look like?

6:45 How is closed loop stimulation changing your work?

8:30 You’re involved in a startup to better listen to the spinal cord, can you talk about that?

11:30 Why hasn’t this been done before?

14:00 Where in the startup process are you?

15:30 Where are you getting the leads from?

16:30 You guys are raising money, can you talk about that?

18:30 Crowdfunding for medical devices is new, have you seen these before?

21:00 Is there anything that we didn’t cover that you wanted to mention?

Dr Mikhail Lebedev is a Senior Research Scientist at Duke University where he has worked with prosthetics and Brain Machine Interfaces in primates. Even 15 years ago he was able to demonstrate a primate controlling a robotic arm with minimal effort using only its thoughts. Now they do a little bit more 'sci-fi' experiments where they link up many brains to help solve problems together using telepathy.

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 in the 2020 competition.

Takeaways:
1. Showcase of technology for people with disabilities in the spirit of competitive sport.
2. Competitive challenges center around tasks for people with physical impairments in
every-day life and the use of assistive technology.

[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode and joins the conversation with Florian Haufe and Jen
French at RehabWeek 2019.
[1:16] Haufe tells about how he became involved in the Cybathlon and what the event is about.
[2:09} Discussion of the different competitive disciplines at the event and the tasks in the
competition highlighted the exoskeleton discipline.
[3:31] Haufe explains the scoring technique for the disciplines.
[3:51] Haufe further describes the initial event that took place in Zurich in 2016 with
competitors from academia and industry. There were 6 disciplines and over 5000 attendees.
[5:40] What makes up the team is the pilot or end user/athlete along with a technical team that
can range from students to licensed engineers to hobbyists.
[7:10] Haufe describes the overall goal of the event. Giving people with impairments a platform
for the use of assistive devices in the spirit of competition, allow technology developers to
show what their latest inventions can do and increase public awareness are the goals of the
event.
[9:24} Here are the details about the 2020 event and how to get involved. Go to
https://cybathlon.ethz.ch/cybathlon-2020.html

Ulrich Hofmann is a Professor at the University of Freiburg in Germany working on some of the cutting edge and newest things in the field of neurotechnology.

Top Three Takeaways

• The 8 micron limit for not causing a foreign body response might actually be closer to 1 micron
• Magnetoelectric nanoparticles might be the solution towards getting to the dream of having a 0 dimensional neural probe
• Neural Implants seem to activate those genes found in brain tumors

3:00 "You're working in Freiburg, which is bottom southwest corner of Germany, but I actually just found out that you don't live there. Where do you live?"

4:00 "Do you want to describe your work a little bit and how you've gotten into neural implants?"

6:30 "So do you want to talk a little bit about how, what you've been, what you've been up to the last few years, if you want to, the direction you're going?"

11:45 " What I was taught is below eight microns it's invisible to the body, but before the show started, you were saying, it actually might be one micron. Do you want to explain this a little bit?"

15:00 "So I want to go back to the transcriptomics, what have you been finding out?

19:45 "So deep brain stimulators, DBS has been around for decades. Wouldn't, we have seen it in something like that?"

21:00 "It seems like you've had a lot of transitions in your career and even now you seem to have these four or five-year sections and then you completely switch. Is that accurate?"

24:00 "So what did you tell the selection committee when you were becoming a professor, what was the purpose or what was the disease that you were trying to cure with that?"

31:00 "Is there anything that we didn't talk about that you wanted to mention?"

Dr. Ginger Campbell is the host of Brain Science, a very large neuroscience podcast, and one of the earliest neuroscience podcasts created. In this episode, she discusses the podcast itself, why and how she started it up, as well as what it takes to run a neuroscience podcast.

Top three takeaways:

1. If you want to make a scientific podcast, you must understand the workload that comes with it. It takes a lot to generate accurate scientific content for your listeners.
2. When doing a scientific podcast, it is critical to think about your audience. It can be very helpful to try to reach those outside your field, especially in science, as there is a need for this communication.
3. When picking a topic for your podcast, pick something that you are passionate about, and something that you can talk about easily.

[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode and the guest, Ginger Campbell

[3:30] Campbell explains why she chose neuroscience as the topic for her podcast

[6:45] The subject that Campbell is most interested in right now is the intrinsic activity of the brain

[10:15] One author suggests that we should do away with the idea of the mind, and focus more on how the brain as an organ interacts with the world around it

[12:45] To make a scientific podcast, one must realize that there is a tremendous workload involved. Creating accurate scientific content for a podcast is much different than making a podcast talking about your favorite TV show or sports team.

[16:30] Authors enjoy coming onto the podcast for the publicity, as obtaining publicity can be very difficult, and being a guest on a popular podcast can be very beneficial

[19:00] When doing a science podcast, you need to deeply think about the audience you are trying to reach. Communicating with those outside your field about what your field does is very beneficial in building a good audience, as there is a need for this type of communication.

[22:15] Be careful of goofing off at the beginning of shows and going off on irrelevant tangents early in the episode, or it may prompt some audience members to stop listening

[26:00] Campbell started the podcast because she has an interest and a knack for explaining science, the same way she explains medicine to her patients

[29:30] Due to the current economic crisis happening, podcasters depending on advertising will likely suffer within the near future

[31:00] For those wanting to do a podcast, it is important to pick a subject that you are passionate about. Talk about what you know and what interests you.

[34:30] It is easier to make a podcast about neuroscience than about quantum mechanics, because everyone has a brain, whereas quantum mechanics do not affect people’s lives

[37:00] Listener feedback is what will really keep you going when it gets tough

[39:00] Ladan gives further thoughts on the discussion and discusses the services of Neural Implant Media

TRANSCRIPT (Auto-generated):

Welcome to the neural implant podcast where we talk with the people behind the current events and breakthroughs in brain implants and understandable way, helping bring together various fields involved in Euro prosthetics. Here is your host, Latin Yara. Check. Hello everyone, and welcome to the neural implant podcast.

Today we have a special guest. It's ginger Campbell of the brain science. Podcast, and I'm really happy to have her on the show. She is an O, G original gangster of the neuroscience podcasting space. She's been doing this since 2006 and the really one of the pioneers of podcasting, she says podcasting started in 2004 so she's not completely.

The first person to do this, but that was like 1415 years ago, so you know, we can call it pretty much like that. So really interesting stuff. She's had over 10 million downloads on her show and really an honor to talk to. One of the people that started out Pluralsight is podcasting

ginger Campbell. Pleasure to have you on the show. You are the host of the brain science podcast, which is a huge neuroscience podcast, and I'm really excited to have you on. We've actually been talking about this for awhile and do you want to introduce the podcast a little bit? Yeah, thanks. First I want to mention that the name of the podcast is.

Brain science podcast is not part of the name anymore. Just in case you happen to be searching in your podcasting app. I think I took the name, I think I took podcasts I will name about five years ago. Actually, I don't remember exactly when I did it. I decided that putting podcasts in your title had become sort of redundant.

Back when I started in 2006 it was really common for podcasts to be part of the title, but you know, now it's not so much. So anyway, just plain old brain science, neuroscience for everyone. Now you're making me rethink the name of my podcast. And so basically the idea of the show is to explore how recent discoveries in neuroscience are helping unravel the mystery of how our brains make us human.

And my tagline is. The show for everyone who has a brain, because I want to communicate. The show doesn't require a scientific background. However, the listeners are very diverse, ranging from people who haven't gone to college. I've got a house painter and a plumber, and then actual neuroscientists, so that makes for a challenge when I'm creating my show.

Interesting. And you said you started back way back in 2006 I think that's pretty much when a podcasting started. How was that? Well, podcasting officially started in 2004 and then it appeared in iTunes in the summer of 2005 which is when many of us early people became aware of it because before that you had to be able to.

Code your own RSS feed and stuff like that. So I wasn't that much of a pioneer. And then it took me about a year to figure out what I wanted to make my show about. So, so I think I started about two years in which now that I'm on my 14th year, I guess, represents almost a pioneer. Yeah. I think for those looking back nowadays, they would, they would see very much as to see very little of a distinction.

It's like, Oh, when did you, you know, when did you come to America? 1492 or 1512 or something. Like I said that at some point it's kind of like, ah, it's kind of, you know, splitting hairs, but so why did you choose neuroscience. Well because it just happened to be what I was reading at the time that I decided to start a show.

I didn't want to show about my job, which I'm a physician, so I wanted to show that was about what I was just interested in, and at the time, neuroscience hadn't been quite become quite so popular, but I would be listening to people say things that weren't quite right because mainstream media. Coverage of science and neuroscience is, you know, pretty bad, and I wanted to share the things I was reading.

I figured lots of people weren't going to read the books. I wanted to share the stuff I was learning with others. That was really my motivation and I wanted to make a show that was accurate, that told people what the science really shows. That was my, that was my driver. So you're working as a physician, but not necessarily in the field of neuroscience.

It was just kind of an interest of yours then, right? Yeah. I actually came through it through philosophy of mind. I was reading Western philosophy for the first time in my life. I had been through Eastern philosophy, which is actually very mind oriented, but not exactly science oriented. And then I decided to explore Western philosophy.

I discovered there's this whole subset of philosophy called philosophy of mind, and that's when I discovered that neuroscience had come a long way since I had last. Got it. Which was like right before I started medical school in 1980 that was in the days of huge glass electrodes and, and so I got really fascinated with neuroscience because like I said, it, it, it's, it helps us understand who we are.

Yeah, definitely. And I mean, but that's still pretty interesting. I mean, there was a, to keep something up for 15 years or to, to maintain, you know, as somewhat expensive habits and a very, very time consuming habit of podcasting, you know, really is, is more than just a passing interest. I would have to argue that there was something bigger driving you, like how you were thinking, why you were thinking and the science.

So maybe what were your favorites. Episodes or favorite subjects like this philosophy of mine. Specific topics, I guess. Yeah. Yeah. Early on, I was really interested in the question of consciousness. That would be a major theme that still carries through on the show. My favorite early episode was one about exercise and the brain.

With John Rady, unfortunately, as a horrible sound quality, but, but that was my favorite early episode because that was something people could use. He explained why exercising is good for your brain, and since the people who tend to listen to my show oftentimes care about their brain health, that one was one that had a personal impact for people.

So it stands out out for me. Really? Yeah, definitely. Yeah. And then of course, learning about brain plasticity. That was something that was new at the beginning of the show. Now it's kind of old hat everybody knows about brain plasticity, but the subject that really, the subject that I'm really fascinated by right now actually has to do with the intrinsic activity of the brain.

And this actually might be relevant to your listeners who are interested in neural implants, because I've been reading a couple of books about the idea of the intrinsic activity of the brain. One is called the brain from the inside out by URI Misaki, which is, he's the guy who's very well known as a pioneer in brain rhythms.

And I have another one. I can't think of the name of it right the second, I think it's called the spontaneous brain, but they're both on the same idea that we need to start looking at the brain from the inside out. It's intrinsic activity is really a key feature, and the reason why I think this might be relevant to people interested in neural implants is that I think it may explain how something like say the cochlear implant.

Is why it's so successful. I don't know if you're aware of this, but when the cochlear implant was first invented, people didn't really think it would work because the amount of information in the signal is very poor relative to normal hearing. And what they found was that people learned to make sense out of what they were hearing from the cochlear implant.

You start out making sense, but eventually their brain just kind of decoded it. And so. Bruce hockey's idea is that the brain is going along, making signals, making it, throwing signals out, throwing signals out. And then when we're lippy as a part of life, we associate through the timing of brain rhythms. A spontaneous signal was something else in the world, and we make a match.

So if that's really true, then that means our brain can be more flexible for, you know, learning, you know, new ways to interact with the world. For example, a brain machine interface. You know, we could learn to, to generate a different brain pattern, to do a thing, say with the computer. And that seems to be what people are actually experiencing, right?

When they're trying to create these interfaces. Are you familiar with what I'm talking about? Yeah. Yeah, I know. I know. Boost hockey has a boost hockey, uh, array the Tetro and everything like this, and, and some of my colleagues have worked with them, but yeah, it's, it's definitely, you know, the amount of plasticity that's in the brain.

And you, you might remember this actually, you might've been around like when this was, people were saying like, Oh, there's no, you know, change in the brain. There's no neurons being created after, after childhood. Right. And essentially that everything's kind of set in stone, but you know, that that basically negates all of learning.

And, you know, people like kind of, kind of like with the cochlear implant, like, you know, people can learn crazy, crazy stuff like Morse code. I mean, people learn beeps and boops, you know, and, and translate that into, you know, speech almost. And, and like, I think I heard, I was hearing about like, people that are really good at Morse code, like they almost here.

Writing or speech in that, you know? So yeah, it's crazy stuff. All this, all this about plasticity and how dynamic the brain actually is. And this other guy that I'm reading, and I'm, I can't pronounce his name, so I'm love to say it, but the name of his book is the spontaneous brain. He actually argues that maybe we should even do away with the idea of the mind and just talk about the world brain problem.

That is, how does the brain. Interact with the world. And in, in his book, he, he talks about the empirical evidence. It's very similar to be sockies because they both talk about the evidence that faster rhythms are nested into slower rhythms. And also the fact that when you look at the brain's response to an external signal, it's.

Influenced by whatever the brain is already doing. They're not additive. There's an interaction. So I think that idea, the idea of just doing away with the idea of the mind, he calls it a Copernican revolution because he's saying instead of having this, you know, like sort of mind centered view of the world, which gives us this, this, you know, mind body problem, which we can't seem to solve that.

If we just shift our viewpoint from. To the interaction between the brain and the world. We can just do away with the whole mind body problem. It's just kind of an interesting thought. Yeah, definitely. I think, I think there definitely is a fallacy that lies there. But I want to talk about the podcast. So, you know, you have written here that you've passed 10 million downloads and are very influential.

You've been ranked number one on iTunes and Libsyn, which is a big, you know, podcast, hosting a site. They're also have you as one of the proud, you know, like, Hey, look, who goes with us? You know, look who we have, you know, is one of our customers. But what has been your experience with hosting? One of the biggest.

Well, unfortunately, science podcasts are not, you know, the most popular in terms of big numbers. I mean, my numbers are very good for science, but because of the way advertising works, you need really big numbers to, to make money. To give you an example, I don't know if you've heard of the person who does grammar girl.

She's. Made a business out of her podcast, a Minoan Fogarty. She actually started as a science podcast and back in 2007 she told me she gave up science podcasting cause it was too much work. And, and that really is a reality. I mean, if you're going to, I know you would like to encourage more people to do science podcasts and so would I.

But I think that it is important to be realistic about the work. Load involved. You know, if you make a fan cast about your favorite TV show and you just get together with your buddies and talk about it, you know, every week it's not, I mean, it's time consuming, but it's not the same kind of work as trying to create accurate science content.

I think it's a level of challenge that the people that the average podcast or doesn't appreciate. That's funny that there's more money in grammar than there is in science. Yeah. Well, everybody needs grammar, and a lot of people don't think they need science. Yeah. No, it's very helpful actually. So what has been some of your, I don't know, responses or what?

What kind of feedback have you gotten over? Geez, almost a decade and a half that you've been doing this, huh? Well, the two most surprising things. One is feedback from students. I never. Expected the feedback from students. I thought of my show as being a show that would be sort of the NPR adult kind of person who, who was curious about about neuroscience, but I have students of all ages, and I actually have one listener.

Who is now in his first year of residency, who's been listening to the show as a psychiatry resident who's been listening to the shows for eight years since he was in high school. So that's pretty amazing. And I've had people write to me and say, I'm going to go into neuroscience because of listening to the show, so that.

That was a total surprise. I did not expect that. And the other surprising thing is when people with with neurological or mental health challenges write to me and tell me that. That might show helps them to cope with their challenges. I had a listener once who said he was listening to the show with his father who was dying from Alzheimer's, and I recently actually had a patient, sorry, excuse me, habit, a listener, right?

Saying that he had recently been diagnosed with early onset dementia, and he was still listening to the show that he felt that was helpful to him. So. It's as a physician, I have to say that the most amazing thing is realizing the show has impacted so many people, so many more people than I'll ever reach as a physician.

Yeah, that's pretty amazing stuff. I mean, and that's something I, I, you know, talk about on my show as well. Like, you know, a good scientific paper might get, you know, a hundred views and like five citations or something like this. And that's, you know, you can be proud of that. But with our shows, you can get hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of downloads and that reach, although maybe not as deep and, and like, you know, in the specific subset it breaches, it goes much further.

And I think that really. Gives your research and your message much more value as well. Yeah. I don't have any trouble getting guests. Uh, even though I do focus on scientists who write books, I occasionally interview people who are involved in basic science, especially people that are, uh, extremely good at communicating like Seth grant, for example.

But the reason that I focus on books is that it gives my listeners a place to go if they want to learn more. The average person doesn't have access to the literature. You know, they don't have access to an academic library. All these, lots of these papers are still behind paywalls. But by talking to somebody who's taken the time to put a bunch of research together in a book, if a person you know, wants to go to the next level, their first choice is just go and read the book and people actually do that.

So authors are very happy to come on my show cause they, most of them really do understand that. Yeah. They, they want as much, you know, public publicity as I can get. Cause it really can be hard to sometimes break above the noise. And yeah. I mean there is something special about like having somebody who's worked in the field and you know, potentially.

Simplify things and, and, you know, get it from behind the paywall because that's actually, that's the reason I started this show as well, was, you know, trying to get to the research. I was outside of the paywall at the time, but I wanted to learn what everybody was doing and who the big people in the field were.

So, uh, I figured I might as well help other people with this as well. So, yeah. That, that's really interesting. You, you're very much into books. You have a different, you have another podcast about books actually as well, right? Yeah, so it's called, it's called books and ideas. It has a pretty small audience because it's not niche enough.

You know, in podcasting, it seems to be an advantage to be, to have a niche. And even though books and ideas clearly describes what the show really is, it, it's not quite, I mean, it's really the place I put everything that doesn't fit. So I might talk to a science fiction writer, or I might talk to a scientist.

I might talk to, I, I've interviewed. Astronomers physicists, a woman who's written video game novels. So I mean, it's very, very, very diverse, which I enjoy, but makes finding its audience difficult. So it's truly my passion project. Yeah, for sure. That's a, that's interesting. So what do you think, I mean, do you think, uh, the world would be better if there was more podcasts if more people were doing this kind of stuff, or would it be crowded or what's, what's your kind of opinion on science communication?

We definitely need more good science podcasts. I mean, many years ago, I actually tried to start a website. It was called, this was back in 2008 I started a website called science pod-casters dot org and I tried to recruit Joe's to come and basically share their. Show notes all in one place so people may be, would find them.

And I closed it down in 2010 because the national science foundation started their site, which I think is called. Science three 60 I'm not sure. Anyway, it's a very good clearinghouse for good science podcasts, and there was a way I could compete with that, but I do think that if you're going to do a science podcast, you really do need to think about what is the audience you actually want to reach.

If you want your show to be, you know, the inside baseball, you know, really highly technical. Fine, but realize your chances of getting an audience is going to be, you know. You could, it's okay to have a small audience, but you need to know that that's what's going to happen if you want. If your passion is you want people outside your field to understand what your field is about, I think that's really, really valuable, especially these days because science journalism, you know, the newspapers aren't paying for science journalists, the television networks.

Obviously aren't paying for good science journalists, so there's a huge need for somebody to go out there and communicate to people what science is really about. To give you an example of another great Lipson podcast that I'm promoting right now, for obvious reasons, is this weekend virology. I mean, if you want to hear a great show, that's really the science of coronavirus.

This week in virology, which is a Lipson show and Vincent ranch and Ella used to be a part of my science podcast or.org organization. This week in virology launched in 2008 so it's not a, you know, Hey, let's jump on the bandwagon. You know, I had to get that in there cause I really think this is an important show for people to listen to.

I just think that, I think it's really valuable. We need, I'd like to see some good physics shows that, you know, tried to explain things to regular people like me. You know, I guess maybe Sean Carroll does a little on his, but he, his show is, I don't think it's. It's really focused on physics, even though he's a physicist.

Yeah, but if you're going to do it, I would the run recommendation if I had anything to do different, I don't know if you're planning to ask me that question. If I was going to do something different, I would want to have a cohost. I mean, you know someone to carry the load so that you know it's not all on you.

If you can find a cohost, you'll probably have a better chance of, of lasting and not pod fading. And plus listeners enjoy, you know, hearing the relationship between the cohost. And that's something that, that, that I, I've never had the opportunity to do. Yeah, definitely. I agree. Like I've, I've had, I've also co-hosted some, some other podcasts, you know, with some colleagues, and that does get go much better because you get a different perspective.

I mean, obviously, you know, the questions that you ask, you know your way of thinking, but then the cohost might ask a question and that's just like, Oh wow. That is actually very interesting. I'm very curious what the answer is. I think that's a very good piece of advice. But beware of the excess chitter chatter.

I can't tell you how many podcasts I have turned off at the beginning because everybody's talking about. You know, it doesn't matter what TV show they watched or whatever. Most of us can't pull that off. I mean, if you're like a celebrity, maybe somebody wants to know what you did last night, but otherwise they probably don't and they're probably going to turn off your show before you even get to your interview.

If you make it a habit. Of doing too much goofing around at the beginning. And that's, that's just my opinion. But I've heard other podcast listeners say the same thing when talking about what shows they turn off. Most of us aren't as funny as we think we are and know, get to the point. For sure. I completely agree.

It has to be substantive. So, okay, so what's, what's your plans with the future of brain science and what kind of goals are you hoping to accomplish with it? Well, you know, this year it's hard to know what's going to happen. I was really hoping to take the show to another level this year. I actually experimented with going back to twice a month, which I, um, did the first two years of the show.

But I've decided to go back to once a month, which has worked well for over 10 years. I'm trying, I was planning to release the second edition of my book. Are you sure? The unconscious. Origins of certainty next week, but that's been held up just in the layout. Um, stage, just because of uncertainties with, with the pen dynamic, and I'm not sure how people are going to get books.

Amazon's society books are very low priority. If you order a book right now from Amazon, it'll come whenever. So it's probably not a re the best possible time to be releasing a book. And I really want to write that book. Are you sure is really just based on several older episodes of the show. And what I really want to do is to write a truly original book because I mean, I got almost 15 years worth of material.

I got lots of material. I want to write an original book, mainly because let's face it, there's still a lot of people who don't listen to podcasts. And. The reality is books are still, you know, the gold standard. So I want to write a really good, but it's called, it's going to be called why neuroscience matters, because really my, my whole premise is that understanding how neuroscience works should be a basic scientific literacy skill for the 21st century.

For example, if you understand what cognitive dissonance is. Politics make a lot more sense, but at any rate, so that's really my focus for this year is to get those books out. And then I w I hope they will help grow the show, but the main thing is to reach new people. Okay. Yeah. Just kind of educate the world on, on everything that's going on, how we think, why we think, I think that's a really good idea.

But I would, I would argue that, you know, books are, you know, obviously they reach different type of peer person than, than podcasting. And maybe more, maybe less, I don't know. But I would say that even better. Methods of teaching. And a big part of that is actually video is, you know, lot more people. For example, watch YouTube, then read books.

Yeah. And I'm not going to argue with that. I don't see myself as a video person. If somebody came to me and said, Hey, do you want to be part of a video project? I'd say, cool, but I'm not, you know, I'm not gonna. Take that on as a solo project. Audio podcasting is enough of a challenge as a solo project. I appreciate the fact that that a lot of people still, you know, now learn by video.

I happened to be a person who learns by reading and believe that there are still those of us out there. We learn by reading and I'm willing to accept the fact that. Someone else may be reaching those video people. Yeah. And if somebody wants to come to me and say, Hey, here's your great book. How can we put parts of it into a video?

You know, I'll be, I'll be up for that too, but I know what my strength is. Yeah. I mean, I got into podcasting because I realized almost immediately that it was just something that, that, um, really excited me and I felt like I was good at it. Explaining science is a lot more like my day job in which I explained medicine to my patients.

So it kind of, you know, trying to translate things into English is something that sort of comes naturally, or at least I've been doing it so long. It feels natural. Yeah, definitely. Kind of, I mean, essentially you're translating from Latin into English. Well, it's not quite that bad, but close enough. Yeah. I did want to talk about one other thing that was related to the book, and that was, I had.

I've had half a listener who's been just sort of hounding me about making an audio version of, are you sure? Which I'm not planning to do, partly because of expense and partly because of the content is already available mostly in audio. Format, but when I do my big book project, I definitely do consider making an audio version of it to be essential for the exact reason that you just mentioned that the format of audio is so good for reaching people.

And the thing I love about audio versus video is that a person can be. They can be driving their car. They have been going for a walk. They can be cleaning their house. They can, I don't know how you would mow the lawn because I don't think you'd be able to hear it, but you can do a lot of stuff while you're listening to audio as opposed to, you know, video, which if you're actually really paying attention, you know, you kind of have to.

Look at it. So that's why I'm comfortable with not doing video, although I appreciate the fact that, that it's, it's a very powerful tool. I mean, I'm the person who, when I go to the website, I don't watch the videos. I say I look for the, where did they put the written instructions? In fact, I have a coach who has all these videos and she's learned that she's just going to send me the PDFs because I don't want to watch the video.

So it may be a generational thing, but. You know, I'm a baby boomer. There's plenty of people in my boom's still left. Yeah, for sure. Yeah, I mean, I think also like audio is kind of the sweet spot where it's easily accessible and you also, like you said, you can do it while doing other things, driving, transporting, you know, basically all the stuff that I've stopped doing.

So actually I've had my podcast kind of pile up because I've stopped commuting to work and I stopped, you know, doing all this stuff that where I, where I used to listen to podcasts. It's been a, it's been pretty bad. I'm going to have quite a backlog once I get back to everything. Right. And that's, you know, that's why it's hard to know what's going to happen.

Rob Walch from, from Lipson, he, he's been talking on the feed about how the last slump in, in podcast advertising happened in 2008 with the, with the financial crisis in 2008 and I remember that because I had one. Really great advertising campaign with the Navy, and then the rates just went through the bottom.

I mean, they just, they went way down. So people, podcasts, which you rely on, on advertising, are really going to be, you know, hurting in the next, you know, foreseeable future. And then the people who are making their living off of production, you know, audio editing and things like that are probably also gonna, you know, struggle a little for me.

My show's established and I can survive on a plateau for a while, but if I was somebody just starting out, I'm not saying you shouldn't start now. But this might be a good time to be in the planning phases, right. And, and really get everything aligned up. Maybe if, I think if I was starting a new show at this point, what I might consider doing is getting a large number of interviews in the can, right.

And then launching in the fall, maybe when people are hopefully going to be back on a more regular schedule and then you won't have that time pressure of trying to put out a show every week. So we can make the best of it. Yeah, definitely. Don't have this be dead time. Have it be useful, actually. Yeah. So what is, what are some, what is some advice that you have for people in the neuroscience field?

Neurotechnology in general, like through your experience in the field and, and having talked to so many people. Well, I always, I always ask my guests to give advice to students because I have so many student listeners, and one of the things that, that many of my guests say, which I think applies to us whether or not we're students or not, is to choose something that, that you're really passionate about.

In other words, if you were going to do a podcast. Unless you are intentionally planning a very short run series that's gonna like say go 12 episodes in and, but if you want to do it for a prolonged period of time, you've got to pick something that you're really passionate about. I picked neuroscience because I felt like I wasn't going to run out of material, which has certainly proven to be true every time.

I think that I've kind of gotten. You know, into a stuck point. I turn around and I've got a bunch of new books in my mailbox and I'm like, and I get enthused again. So if the subject doesn't light you up, you're not going to last. I think the, the old writing advice, you know, to re, you know, which is write what you know, probably applies to podcasting too.

Yeah, definitely. I would completely agree. I mean, you know, even even in the field of, even in the sub field of neural implants, you know, especially the guests that I have a little bit more familiarity with, it's much easier for me versus something like, you know, computational stuff or you know, programming or whatever, and they're just like, Oh shoot, this is a bit outside of what I know and what I can intelligently speak about.

But also, I guess not. What I'm interested in. I am interested in it, but maybe not to the extent to the other stuff. So I completely agree, and I think you've shown this very well. It's, it's not a sprint, it's a marathon, you know? And then when you're, when you're planning your interviews, I think they're, the most obvious rule is read ahead of time.

You know, you know, if you listen to interviews in the mainstream media, you can lots of times tell that they haven't read anything by the person that they're interviewing, right? So even if you're interviewing somebody who's only who's written a paper or whatever, you want to have read their work. And then when you're thinking about your interview, I recommend making your questions.

Ask yourself, well, what is the one thing about this person's work that I want my listeners to understand? And then gear all your questions to that. And most scientists don't mind if you say to them, can you back up for a minute and explain what you meant by XYZ? If you're making a show for nonspecialists, they don't have to understand everything, but they need to be able to understand the big picture and they don't like being talked down to.

I mean, the show I do basically goes against all the, all the dogma about how to do science. Broadcasting. You know, if you look at mainstream media, everything is so watered down. There's this assumption that people won't understand it or that you need a bunch of special effects, which of course obviously don't have and neither one.

I think neither one of those things are true, but you do have to be able to make it clear. Why should I, the guy off the street care about this? I mean, you're doing a show about neural implants. I think probably, you know that. That's not as hard as it might be for some other show. I always like to joke that it's a lot easier to make a podcast about neuroscience because everybody does have a brain, and neuroscience really does affect us as individuals, whereas like most of us are not affected by quantum mechanics, so it doesn't matter whether we understand it or not.

Yeah, I mean, I know we are affected by quantum mechanics on some level, but you know what I mean? We're not making day to day decisions based on her understanding of quantum mechanics. Yeah, exactly. Kind of make it relevant. Bring it, bring it all home. Right. And I'm not mean telling them what to think. I am also a big believer in trusting that the science can speak for itself.

You know, decide what the key idea is. Help your guest to share that key idea. And then you have to trust your listeners. Yeah, for sure. This is really interesting stuff. I love it. Um, you know, especially coming from, you know, like I said, one of the biggest science podcasters, you know, of our time and, and somebody who's been doing it all, I'll say pretty much from the beginning.

Yeah. There's a couple of science podcasts out there. They've been around longer than mine, but not many. Yeah, I mean, I, I, I'd have a hard time believing it honestly. Like, unless it was like radio program before, I was just like, Oh, we might as well do podcasting in addition to this, like science Friday.

That's kinda what I'm thinking. Right. I don't care that I don't count those because those are repurposed radio shows. So you're right. One of the oldest ones is probably a repurposed radio show, but there is a show called the astronomy cast, which is Pam Hamlin. Gay's done over 300 episodes of that show.

I think she launched in three 2005 while she's in the podcasting hall of fame, the only science podcast in the podcasting hall of fame, like actual hall of fame. Well, it's called the Academy of podcasters, and now it's been bought out, so it's probably going to become the Hollywood podcasting hall of fame, but the people that are currently in it are true pioneers.

Just Google Academy of podcasters hall of fame. She got a star on the Hollywood walk of fame.

No. But yeah. Yeah, it's, it's, it's a lot of work creating a science podcast, but I think it's, it's, it's a great way to share pot. I think it's a great way to share science. It just, it's just a lot of work. You have to, the thing that will keep you going if you decide to do it, and I don't know if this is your experience, but for me, it's listener feedback.

Every time I think I'm going to quit. I get an email from somebody who said, tells me, you know how it's made a difference to them. And, and that, that keeps me going. Yeah, definitely. Like the, the feedback is, is great. And the really, it's amazing kind of the connections that you create for others and then you create for yourself as well.

But another thing for me too is because I can go to conferences and I have gone to conferences kind of helping out on the meta side of things with some things, I, I'm basically in the room of, you know, a few hundred people that, you know. Portion of them who know who I am and listen to the show and everything like that.

So that's kind of an amazing thing because I have a, I have a travel podcast as well actually, and it's, it's bigger than the Nerland pop podcast, but you know, it's just diffuse, like it's all over the world. So I would never in the wild run into one of my listeners, but at one of the conferences, it really, it does happen and people are, you know, people like it, you know?

And so that, that also kind of motivates me a little bit further, cause it's just like, it's not just numbers on a screen, it's actual. People and it's actual, you know, it's, it's has real life consequences I guess. So, Dr. Campbell, this has been excellent. Thank you so much for coming on. Is there anything that we didn't talk about that you wanted to mention?

Yeah. And, and I have a free newsletter on my website, so if somebody says, well, I'd like to know when that book is really happening. Who's got a brain science podcast.com and sign up for the newsletter. You get. Show notes automatically and know when the book is finally a reality. Excellent. I'm looking forward to it and especially looking forward to the audience

guys. Hopefully you enjoyed that. Yeah, it was interesting. Afterwards we talked about, you know, how hard it is to make money podcasting and how little it is, and you know, she's like, Oh, you can put some of your episodes behind a pay wall, or, you know, do a Patrion and have people donate to you. But with how niche this show is, I don't think I'd be making too much.

And I don't think, I don't want to do that to you guys. Like, and only earn 20 bucks a month, you know, sell out my soul for 20 bucks a month, or you know, 30 or whatever. I might end up earning from that. But I do this for the love of the topic and the. The people that are in it and just reaching out and everything like this.

I think it's really good, but I mean, please do remember that I do offer other services, and so if you're interested in either advertising on a podcast or making your own podcast, or filming a promotional video for example, or a conference, or you know, a panel or whatever, I'm doing three D animations, then I'm available for this as well.

The email is. Latin@neuralimplant.media and so yeah, I can do all your media needs. Even things like making some figures in, in some journal articles. I've seen some really, really ugly figures, really ugly photos, and I can make that a little bit better. Just that much better. To, to make it more attractive.

And you know, it's a small thing, but it's a is, it's a very real thing. And I've seen people close and I've seen people just stop reading. If they saw like an especially hideous graphic, then yeah, let me know. Let me know and I'll see if I can help you out. Hope you enjoyed the show and were able to learn something new, bringing together different fields in novel ways.

Until next time on the neural implant podcast.

Welcome to the Neural Implant Podcast! In this episode, the podcast team presents a live panel recording from the Bio L Conference at the International Winter School on Bioelectronics in Austria in March 2024. Hosted by Ladan, the panel discusses various types of neural implants with esteemed guests: Drs . Jonathan Viventi (LCP neural implants), Tracy Cui (PEDOT electrode coatings), Ellis Meng (parylene neural implants), and Ivan Minev (PDMS neural implants). Tune in as they explore the fascinating world of soft implantable electrodes and brain-nervous system interfaces.

  Top 3 Takeaways:

• “In the next five or 10 years, I anticipate that advancements in human neural implants will resemble those we've observed previously. I don't foresee any radical changes in materials or physical attributes. The neurosurgeons I collaborate with prefer implants that aren't excessively flexible or thin to avoid tearing during surgery.”
• “The first time we delivered an implant to a clinician, these devices were carefully handled by my students. No one dared touch them; they were like sacred objects entrusted to the grad students. When the surgeons got hold of them, they were shocked – bending them in ways we never imagined. Handling these inconsistencies is a crucial aspect to consider, bridging the gap between expectation and reality.”
• "Everything new is something old that is well forgotten"

3:15 Do all of you want to introduce yourselves?
10:30 What’s a good way for trainees to stay on top of everything there is to learn?
13:45 What is the ideal neural implant and what is the 5-10 year plan for developing these?
20:00 Each of you has a different favorite material for neural implants, do you want to talk about that?
29:45 What motivates you in this field?
35:30 How do you take clinical translation into account in your research?
40:15 What challenges or embarrassing moments have you had in your career?
***Audience Questions***
43:30 What is your experience and challenges in patenting your electrodes and research?
46:00 What’s the point in doing research if other companies are able to raise significantly more money than we can?
49:00 How do you address the scalability of manufacturing electrodes?
51:15 How groundbreaking do your ideas need to be to be successful?
54:30 How do you deal with paper submission processes that have gone badly?
58:00 How do you deal with a  double blind review?
59:00 What’s the most difficult aspect of supervising graduate students?
1:02:00 When can we expect neural implants that interface with all of the neurons in our brain?
1:06:15 How do you deal with materials that aren’t certified for clinical translation?
 1:07:45 If you had a magic wand / unlimited funding, what would you do? 

Dustin Tyler is a Kent H Smith professor at the Case Western Reserve University and the Director of the Human Fusions Institute. He has a secondary appointment as the principal investigator at the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veteran Affairs Medical centre. His expertise and interests include directly connecting humans and technology over the neural system to improve human performance and capability. His areas of work include clinical trials of Class III medical devices with emphasis on neural interfaces; acute and chronic pre-clinical studies in small and large mammalian models, and computational neuroscience. In today’s episode, Dustin talks about his work with brain-computer interfaces and some of the exciting breakthroughs he has seen in the past 10 years. 

Top three takeaways:

1. "Most people think brain-computer interfaces are whole brain implants, but in reality, they are more correctly cortical interfaces, which is only a small part of the brain. Peripheral interfaces are also brain-computer interfaces and generally engage all of the brain."
2. "In an experiment, Dustin and his team found that simply by adding sensation, and hence engaging human-in-the-loop control, participants had more success performing delicate grasping and manipulation exercises."
3. "So we have augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), and the next advance forward is NeuroReality. And, what I mean by that is that we're actually connecting directly technology to the human nervous system."

[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode and the guest, Dustin Tyler

[2:00] Dustin starts the conversation by explaining what the term ‘Brain-computer interface’ really means and introduces us to his work focus on the peripheral nervous system

[4:00] Dustin discusses some of the differences between the sensory and motor neurons; breaks down the mechanics behind what’s happening in the nervous system to stimulate sensation; and some of the breakthroughs of switching from non-human primates to clinical work.

[11:50] Dustin shares some of the other success that his research team have had with amputees and other patients

[14:40]  “It's unlikely is that the nerve itself just stops responding to electrical stimulation. Based on a long history of activity, that's unlikely, but we couldn't rule that out.”

[17:00]  Dustin describes an experiment where participants with prosthesis were asked to remove the stems from cherry and the remarkable difference observed when patients were given the sensation of feeling even over vision.

“ What it says is how intricately your sensations are in this feedback in the control system. That vision is actually a really poor control.”

[19:00] “Even with a poor control system, patients can gain a whole lot more by adding sense into that loop”

[28:30] We don’t really have any best practices. We have found that frequency tends to be what we prefer in terms of modulating pressure. 

[33:30] “So. I think the field in general right now is looking at and rightfully so again, the information content of what we can put into the peripheral nerve and how we do that.”

[36:20] “What we're kind of looking at now is, next level, which is adding touch. So it's a third dimension that we can now add. And if you think if you've ever been in VR, when you reach out to touch something, you can't touch it, it kind of. Destroys the illusion. A lot of ways we can change that now where you can actually feel when you're doing through that, um, through that system.”

[37:00] Dustin discusses some of the ideas and possibilities that come with thinking of this new area termed Neural Reality.

[47:30] Unlike with cyberpunk, with the interface, we aren’t changing you. The interface is there but when it’s turned off, it doesn’t exist

[49:40] Dustin talks about some of the work coming in the future and some of the projects he is currently excited about.

Dr. Stavros Zanos is an Assistant Professor at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. In his Translational Neurophysiology lab, they develop methods and techniques to interface with, stimulate and record the vagus nerve to understand how it controls physiological functions, with the end goal of developing therapies for diseases. In this episode, Dr. Stavros Zanos discusses his recent publication regarding anodal blocking in the vagus nerve. 

Top three takeaways:

1. The selectivity capability between afferent and efferent fibers will be used to create better therapies using vagus nerve stimulation. 
2. The vagotomy technique proved to be useful when assessing the characteristics of the fibers as afferent or efferent.  
3. A major challenge of this project was recording the effects of the vagus nerve stimulation due to their complexity. 

[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode and the guest, Dr. Stavros Zanos. 

[2:10] Dr. Zanos tells how his experiences led him to the Feinstein Institute. 

[4:10] His focus has been on engineering implants, understanding the physiological effects of bioelectronic therapies, and testing animal models to be able to create chronic implants for testing therapies.

[7:00] The anodal block technique used in their publication is a way of biasing the activation of afferent and efferent fibers to effectively treat different diseases.

[9:30] At the lowest intensity of stimuli, the larger fibers get engaged first; as you increase the intensity, smaller fibers are able to be engaged. 

[13:30] Judging by the physiological changes that occurred during a vagotomy, afferent and efferent fibers are indexed. 

[16:00] Dr. Zanos cautions researchers to always evaluate the translatability of their devices from animals to humans. 

[18:00] Another major focus of the lab is to develop chronic implants in animals, understand how to make them last longer, and then judge how the interface changes over time. 

[20:30] By increasing the intensity of stimulation, there is a greater amount of potentials going in one direction and blockage of the other potentials.

[24:10]  The cycle of innovation when it comes to medical devices ranges between five to 10 years. 

We know you are facing challenging times in this current health crisis. The U.S. Small Business Administration is committed to help bring relief to small businesses and nonprofit organizations suffering because of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 

On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed into law the CARES Act, which provided additional assistance for small business owners and non-profits, including the opportunity to get up to a $10,000 Advance on an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL). This Advance may be available even if your EIDL application was declined or is still pending, and will be forgiven.

If you wish to apply for the Advance on your EIDL, please visit www.SBA.gov/Disaster as soon as possible to fill out a new, streamlined application. In order to qualify for the Advance, you need to submit this new application even if you previously submitted an EIDL application. Applying for the Advance will not impact the status or slow your existing application.

Also, we encourage you to subscribe to our email updates via www.SBA.gov/Updates and follow us on Twitter at @SBAgov for the latest news on available SBA resources and services. If you need additional assistance, you can find your local SBA office and resource partners at www.SBA.gov/LocalAssistance. If you have questions, you may also call 1-800-659-2955.

Top three takeaways: 

1. The goal is to accelerate the translation of devices to be able to reach patients globally.  
2. Jojo Platt is the co-creator of Skraps, a podcast that focuses on the inspirations and stories of influential people in various scientific fields.  
3. There is an important conversation to be had about the future of implantable devices and user privacy. 

[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode and the guest, Jojo Platt.  

[2:15] Platt talks about her involvement in the MSRI-EC conference. 

[5:36] The conference included video testimonials from Ian Burkhart and Kelly Owens, both research advocates and participants.   

[7:00] Vanessa Tolosa, one of the founding members of Elon Musk’s Neuralink, also gave a presentation at the conference. 

[12:24] Platt emphasizes the need for the public to discuss the privacy of information associated with brain-computer interface technology. 

[14:03] Skraps is a new podcast that Jojo Platt and her partner Arun Sridhar created, having guests from various fields talk about their experiences and inspirations.

At the 2018 Neural Interfaces Conference Thaddeus Brink of Medtronic talks about being able to sense and modulate bladder fill levels in sheep. Using an API they were able to detect voids and apply stimulation externally

Tim Jorgensen is the author of Spark: The Life of Electricity and the Electricity of Life which looks at the history of bioelectrics all the way from prehistory to the modern era. The book is very informative and shows that current neurotechnology has very deep roots.

https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691197838/spark

https://www.amazon.com/Spark-Life-Electricity/dp/0691197830

Top 3 Takeaways:

•  "The word electricity comes from the Greek Latin word for Amber. That's where it originally comes from because that was the only way to create it. They would rub Amber with wool and you would get static electricity"

• "One of these tricks actually was called the flying boy. They would suspend a child from silk ribbons and would take a glass rod and rub it in order to make static electricity. And then they would touch the boys with the rod and his body would be that the electricity would go into his body. And then he would able be able to do things with his hands, pass his hand over an open book and the page would move or he could attract feathers to his fingers and things like that."

• "It was the doctor's demand for better and better electrical generators for treating patients that funded the development of electrical generator industry."

0:45 "Do you want to describe yourself and your background a little?"

7:45 "Maybe we can take, maybe we can go through a quick history starting with prehistory?"

9:00 "Afterwards it really doesn't start until, like the enlightenment, right?"

17:15 "Then I guess in my mind, the next thing is the industrial era, like you were saying that the Edison, or is there something in between?"

23:15 "How far back does neurostimulation go?"

42:00 "Overall what has been your impression of writing the book and what do you think about the future of neurotech?"

47:00 "You were talking about some of the difficulties of publishing now during COVID, how so?"

49:00 "I'm very glad that you wrote it"

It was really fun to talk to Greg Gage during SfN in November 2017. During our interview, he demonstrated some of the new neural educational toys from Backyard Brains. We were able to read neural activity, send that neural activity into his arm, and finally send his into my arm. I didn't like the last one, it worked but it felt like electricity in my arm. Regardless, the work they are doing to teach children about neuroscience is great!

University of Tübingen postdoc, Ujwal Chaudhary, and I talk about some of his techniques to unlock patients who are locked in. Those who are paralyzed and cannot move their hands or eyes can have a small non-invasive Near Infrared device placed on their head to be able to decipher binary yes and no answers. The technique measures the level of blood oxygenation in the brain which can signify what a patient might be thinking. With this technology, they are able to be correct about 70% of the time. The technology is essentially an fMRI which is much more portable and less costly.

Dr. Shelley Fried is an associate professor at Massachusetts General Hospital, the teaching hospital to Harvard Medical School. His work involves retinal prostheses and using electromagnetic fields to stimulate neurons. In this episode, he discusses these fields of research, as well as goals and challenges with each of them.

Top three takeaways:

1. The main challenge with current retinal prostheses is that the visual acuity it provides is so poor that it cannot be meaningfully used for most daily applications, so there is a need for a narrower and more specific region of stimulation within the retina.
2. Non-contact magnetic stimulation using coils has the advantage of avoiding a lot of challenges faced with electrodes, and it provides more specific and confined stimulation.
3. The goal with magnetic stimulation coils is to clinically test them in a number of blind patients and compare the obtained visual acuity relative to that obtained from electrodes.

[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode and the guest, Dr. Shelley Fried

[2:15] Fried discusses his background and how he came to study retinal prostheses

[5:00] Visual prostheses work by mirroring the visual pathway; in diseases involving retinal damage, the prostheses target downstream bipolar cells

[8:20] A major challenge with stimulating visual neurons is that since they are packed into such a small space, being able to manufacture electrodes small enough to fit into the retina and accurately implant them is difficult

[11:45] The retinal prosthesis has the advantage of not involving direct surgical procedures with the brain

[15:30] The main goal now is to get the electrodes closer together to activate a narrower region of the retina in order to improve visual acuity

[18:30] There are a number of barriers to getting these visual prostheses on the market, namely that the vision it provides cannot be meaningfully used due to the visual acuity being so poor

[21:30] By properly activating ON cells without simultaneously activating OFF cells in the retina, the goal is to be able to recreate natural signaling to the retina

[25:30] There are a lot of issues that arise with electrodes, such as charge density limitations, foreign body response, and stability

[28:00] Non-contact magnetic stimulation evades these concerns, and the coils used can safely activate neurons in the cortex

[31:00] With electric stimulation, cells far from the stimulation site can be stimulated, but with magnetic stimulation, the stimulation is much more specific and confined more to the stimulation site

[34:30] Current is not being deposited directly into tissue, but is passing through the coiled wire where it generates the magnetic field for stimulation

[38:00] After successfully conducting surgical tests for these coils, the goal is to clinically test the devices in a number of blind patients and observe the resulting visual acuity

[42:00] Changing stimulation location and parameters is easier with these coils, and the interaction between the induced fields from multiple coils is being looked into

[44:00] Ladan gives further thoughts on the discussion with Dr. Fried

I caught Andre Snellings on the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) floor and grabbed him quickly to do an interview about NeuroNexus and Michigan Electrodes. We quickly talk about some of the advantages of the Michigan array which has the advantage of being a 3-dimensional electrode. The electrodes are also customizable, "if a customer can draw it on a piece of paper, we can make it"

Andre has since left to work as a fantasy basketball writer at ESPN. Let's wish him the best of luck!

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. Learn from the past so we don’t repeat in the future, applies to neurotech applications.
3. We still have technology challenges in such areas as cybersecurity and battery technology as well as systemic in clinical technology adoption.

[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode and joins the conversation with Paul Meadows and Jen French.
[1:02] Paul Meadows describes his involvement and various positions with IFESS since the inception of the organization.
[1:46] Discussion of his view of the evolution of IFESS over the years.
[2:35] Meadows describes the importance of peer-reviewed publications and the need to
review past research.
[3:43] There are obstacles for technology adoption such as clinical physical therapist curriculum.
[3:58] Meadow’s outlook for exciting developments in the next 5 years in miniaturization, packaging and user-friendly interfaces. This is accompanied by identified risks such as cybersecurity.
[5:52] Identifying that there is some basic science that is limiting technology advancements such as battery technology.

Lindsey Jardine is a clinical project manager at Boston Scientific which had acquired Farapulse, a cardiac ablation medical device company she was working in. She runs clinical trials for medtech companies and had done so for neurotech companies as well.

***This podcast is sponsored by Iris Biomedical, check out their Neurotech Startup Services here***

Top 3 Takeaways:

• "One of the most difficult things that I've found while you're actually running the study, is making sure those devices are getting to the sites, which is depending on where your manufacturer is"
• Hiring a Contract Research Organization (CRO) or hiring clinical trial specialists in-house depends on what the plan for the company is, whether it will be acquired or do an IPO
• "My biggest problem with startups is wanting to do too much. Because if you're trying to develop eight things at once, you're not gonna get there and you're gonna run outta money. And that's how I see a lot of startups fail"

0:45 Do you want to introduce yourself better than I just did?

1:15 "What is a clinical trial?"

2:45 "How do medical devices maybe neurotechnology, compare to pharmaceuticals?"

4:15 "What's a timeline?"

6:00 "Where does the time get used up and then where does the money get used up?"

8:45 Iris Biomedical ad sponsorship

9:15 "Let's talk about budgets and how they vary, why they vary"

11:30 "What does your day-to-day look like?"

17:45 "How did you get into it?"

 21:45 What would be the formal path to get into clinical trials?

26:15 "What's a common mistake for startups?"

29:30 "Do the big guys have a speed advantage?"

31:00 "Is there anything that we didn't talk about that, that you wanted to mention?"

In this episode of the Neural Implant Podcast, host Ladan speaks with David McMillan, the Director of Education Outreach for the Miami Project and a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Miami. They discuss the Miami Project's work, particularly in spinal cord injury research and neuroprosthetics. Topics include clinical trials, combining therapies, regulatory challenges, and the importance of rehabilitation in conjunction with therapeutic technologies.

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 to grow in the future.

Top three takeaways:

1. Organizations such as the Shepherd Center and ACRM serve to help and rehabilitate patients who have suffered injuries resulting in movement disabilities, and research technologies and novel interventions to restore mobility in these patients.
2. Technologies such as FES and exoskeletons that are used by patients with movement disabilities are in their early stages, and are expensive to manufacture.
3. If medical technologies can be shown to present a benefit to patients and their well-being, they may be further developed to improve cost-effectiveness, functionality, and ease of use.

[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode and IFESS, the sponsor

[0:28] Debbie Backus is introduced

[0:44] Debbie talks about the mission of the Shepherd Center, and about the types of patients that the organization cares for

[1:36] Debbie discusses ACRM, the services it offers, and how the organization started

[2:52] Debbie talks about the technology involved in rehab medicine, and how it has grown over the years

[4:11] Debbie talks about the way technology solves problems, and how when designing technologies to solve clinical problems, the problems are not always solved in the best way initially.

[4:52] Debbie discusses certain challenges with technology, such as cost effectiveness. She discusses her own research into the effectiveness of FES cycles, and how certain components may be too expensive for patients to afford.

[5:22] Debbie discusses how if it can be shown how such technology presents a clear benefit to patients, then perhaps more cost-effective options can be developed.

[6:11] Exoskeletons designed for patient mobility are discussed, and they are likened to old-fashioned computers which would take up a whole room. It is discussed how as the technology improves, it will become more practical and economically feasible.

[7:28] Debbie discusses FES bikes, and how once a patient is evaluated and is deemed fit to ride one, they should be able to go to a gym and use one

[7:49] Real bikes are discussed for these patients, rather than stationary ones

[9:38] Debbie discusses her impression with ACRM being involved with rehab week for the first time

I n this episode of the Neural Implant Podcast, host Ladan welcomes Javier Schandy and Nicolas Barabino from Focus, an engineering services company based in Uruguay. They discuss their work in firmware, hardware, and software development for medical devices, emphasizing their specialization in wireless communications and test automation. 

They also explain the benefits of contract engineering, the challenges they face, and highlight an exciting project involving an injectable neurostimulator. The conversation covers the history of neurotechnology development in Uruguay, the process and dynamics of working with clients, and the adaptability and innovative spirit of their company.

In this long episode, Dr. Manfred Franke simplifies many of the concepts behind neural modulation as therapies for many ailments. These can range from phantom limb pain to organ control. He also talks about some of the tricks that are used in order to decrease pain sensations instead of using drugs. These same frequency modulations can be also used to give pressure sensations in prosthetics as well as reducing fatigue by using finer muscle control.

Dr Justin Sanchez is a Life Sciences Research Technical Fellow at Battelle but before that he was Director of Biological Technologies office at DARPA.

Top 3 Takeaways

• "You'll never be able to establish your academic career unless you go and move to another place. I'm like, guys, this doesn't make any sense to me. What's most important is to do great work in the field and establish a foundation of the field."
• "I still had my university job for a couple of years while I was serving at DARPA. And if my time at DARPA and everybody's term-limited at DARPA. When that term ended, I could have gone back to Miami."
• "I launched three gigantic programs in neurotechnology each one with 70 or $80 million behind them and found some of the best teams in the world to do that."

1:15 "Do you want to maybe start at the beginning and talk a little bit about your work here in Gainesville?"

10:00 "So on the show and when we're talking about to the other DARPA directors we talk about the moment you got tapped on the shoulder, is that when you were tapped on the shoulder to go serve?"

16:15 "I think of DARPA, as...seemingly throw unlimited resources at, projects to solve them. But it's very time-limited and it can stop at a moment's notice. So it's almost a little bit like cocaine research... So what was that like? And what was the day-to-day or  how was that different than being a professor researcher?"

19:45 "So what was your day-to-day like?"

23:30 "Afterwards... you went to go work at Battelle. Do you want to talk about this?"

27:45 "Your official role [at Battelle] is Life Sciences Research, Technical Fellow. I don't know what that means. What do you do?"

32:00 "So what are some maybe specific projects that are exciting you nowadays? "

36:00 "You wrote a book about all this. I'm very curious about it. Do you want to talk about this a little bit?"

39:15 "Is there anything that we didn't talk about that you wanted to mention?"

Hannah Claridge is the Head of Neurotechnology at TTP which is a consultancy that helps neurotech companies create the next generation of medical devices.

***This podcast is sponsored by Iris Biomedical, check out their Neurotech Startup Services here***

Top 3 Takeaways:

• "I think consulting is really fantastic for the variety that it offers you. Not just in terms of seeing problems, but also working with different types of companies, different types of technologies, and having different day-to-day activities as well"

• "There have been cases where we've worked with very small companies where the company is composed of two or three founders whose sole role is the concept of the idea and the thinking behind what's the business case, and then gathering in the funding and passing that funding through for us to carry out the product development work. Now that's pretty unusual in most cases."

• "You need to be able to balance the efficacy of treatment with the side effects that are usually created. And if you go too far in one direction or the other, then that treatment stops being helpful. So if you stimulate too strongly, and the effect might be really effective but if the side effects are too strong, then patients aren't going to tolerate that."

0:45 Do you want to introduce yourself better than I just did?

1:45 "Let's talk about clinical translation, what does that entail?"

4:45 Iris Biomedical ad sponsorship

5:45 "What's a typical contract length and what does it look like from beginning to end?"

9:00 "It really sounds like you guys do everything. You could just take an idea and then bring it almost all the way to market"

10:15 "Do you wanna share the neurotech projects you've worked on?"

11:15 "What's a common problem that you see?"

17:15 "How does a company recover, like from having so much help to not having any help? Is that typical too?"

19:45 "What does your day-to-day look like? What are you usually doing?"

22:30 What's a typical pathway into the career of consulting?

25:15 "If you had unlimited funding or if a company had unlimited funding, what would you do?"

28:00 "Is there anything that we didn't talk about that you wanted to mention?"

Dr. Alfred Poor is the editor and publisher at Health Tech Insider. Aside from this, he is also a technology speaker and writer, providing insight into the health technology community. In this episode, Dr. Alfred Poor discusses current events in brain-computer interface technology. 

Top three takeaways: 

1. Health Tech Insider provides newsletters that cover wearable mobile devices for health and medical applications. 
2. In this time of online conferences, it takes great lighting, audio, and engagement to be a successful speaker. 
3. It is becoming increasingly popular for doctors to remotely monitor patients.  

[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode and the guest, Dr. Alfred Poor.  

[2:20] Dr. Poor discusses the differences between online and onsite conferences. 

[5:10] Dr. Poor emphasizes the importance of having an online conference structure that allows for audience participation. 

[8:20] Using an external camera and microphone during online meetings can keep members engaged and help presenters get their message across clearly.   

[11:40] After the COVID-19 pandemic, the new normal will include much more online events than previously.  

[13:10] Dr. Poor describes his roles at Health Tech Insider. 

[16:30] Brain-computer interface technology is creating ways to close a feedback loop for motion and senses in the body.   

[18:10] Smartphone technology has accelerated the progress of brain-computer interface devices.  

[21:35] Monitoring of blood sugar levels has become exponentially easier over time due to continuous glucose monitors and now under-the-skin sensors.  

[25:00] Artificial intelligence and machine learning play key roles in making use of the biometric data collected with new technologies.  

[28:30] A new Galaxy watch product will be able to take in blood pressure and ECG.

In this episode, I personally went to meet Dr. Kevin Warwick in Prague for a personal interview. We talk about how he became the world's first cyborg when he implanted a RFID capsule in his arm in 1998. With this, he was able to control the smart doors in his building as well as to play a personalized greeting when he entered his office. 

Then in 2002 he had the Utah Electrode Array implanted in his arm and was the first person to receive signals directly into his nervous system. 

We had a funny conversation about how these events occurred as well what it was like to be able to be the first to communicate telepathically. There are many people who say he was not the first cyborg but that is just a technicality. We can all agree that these two studies were groundbreaking in some way!

John Doucet is a neuroscientist and biomedical engineer with 10+ years of FDA experience in medical device regulation, and 13+ years of Johns Hopkins experience in discovery science, and 6+ years of management experience at FDA and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He has extensive knowledge of medical device regulatory pathways to drive technologies from conception to market.

Top 3 Takeaways:

• "That's what clients are paying for, I can detect the signal from the noise and all the stuff the company is doing, bring that to the FDA in a way that they can digest it

• "Everyone wants breakthrough device. If you're like talking to an investor, you want to say FDA labeled us a breakthrough device. "Yes, our device is the greatest thing since sliced bread, FDA thinks so too.""
• "One of the reasons, I left the FDA and I'm on this side with MCRA working directly with clients is I'm hoping that I can scrub some delays away"
• "I feel like I'm still protecting and promoting public health"

1:15 "Do you want to introduce yourself a little bit?"

5:30 "What is regulatory? Why is it necessary? Why do people like you in your previous life, at the FDA, why does that have to exist? And then why do you and your current life, why does it have to exist?"

10:30 "People should come to you even pre-submission, to be able to consultant and figure out how best to pitch it to the FDA so that it could be approved?"

16:15 "A lot of times when like politicians then become like contractors, it's like a revolving door. What do you think about that? Is it like you're using your connections or what are the ethics of that?"

18:00 "And what's your opinion on the field of neuro tech is it growing exponentially? Have we hit the hockey stick part of the growth?"

24:00 "Is there anything that we didn't talk about that you wanted to mention?"

Dr Steve Potter used to be a professor at Georgia Tech but now consults. But many years ago he was a pioneer in the field of Brain Machine Interfaces especially in the area of cultured neurons. He was one of the proponents of the Two Photon Microscopy system which is in common use today. He is also a huge proponent of open source knowledge and works hard to spread it far.

Dr. Kip Ludwig is a researcher who deals with the nervous system as it relates to the rest of the body. His dream is that it would be able to bypass medications which can be ineffective as well as dangerous. It would be possible to directly control the behavior of particular organs. This field is advancing at an incredible pace and even he is surprised by some of the things he hears about. 

Pawel Soluch is a returning guest who goes over his work at Neuro Device, then his consulting at NeurotechX Services, and now finally he talks about the Medtech Coaching program that he is launching with me!

This is a sponsorship for Medtech Coach

Top 3 Takeaways:

• Pawel and I (Ladan) are launching the Medtech Coaching program which will be aimed at helping medical device executives gain success in their businesses
• Coaching is different from consulting in that we do not generate anything for you but instead help you to become the best medtech executive you can possibly be
• In addition to group coaching we will also be offering individual coaching and also a retreat in January 2024

0:45 Do you want to reintroduce yourself

2:45 Do you want to talk about Neuro Device?

5:15 Do you want to talk about your work as a consultant?

7:15 Do you want to talk about your experience in my original group coaching?

9:15 What's the difference between coaching and consulting?

12:00 "Who is this for and who is it not for?"

15:00 What was the return on investment for the group coaching that you attended?

19:15 What does the individual coaching look like?

23:00 What does the retreat look like?

24:30 What's the role of trust in the meetings?

https://medtechcoach.com/

Jennifer French and James Cavuoto are editors and publishers for Neurotech Reports, a news source whose mission is to provide up-to-date information about the field of neurotechnology that impacts research and venture capital. In this episode, they discuss some updates and recent events happening within the last month in the industry of neurotechnology.

Top three takeaways:

1. The 2020 North American Neuromodulation Society Annual Conference was a very informative and successful conference, and the Emerging Technologies Forum hosted by Neurotech News had great attendance and presentations
2. Companies such as Medtronic are starting to capitalize on the use of glial cells in modulating pain networks
3. Neurotech Reports will be hosting the Bioelectronic Medicine Forum which focuses on both the research and financial realms of bioelectronic medicine and neurotechnology

[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode and the two guests, Jennifer French and James Cavuoto, who start by discussing the North American Neuromodulation Society Annual Conference in Las Vegas, NV

[3:40] French and Cavuoto discuss how large the event was and that it will likely take place again given the excellent turnout

[4:45] The role of glial cells in pain networks was a very significant discussion according to Cavuoto; Medtronic is capitalizing on this with a startup called Stimgenics that they have recently acquired

[6:45] A recent publication of Neurotech Business Report has discussed some failures of certain neurotech companies

[8:20] The 2020 Bioelectronic Medicine Forum hosted by Neurotech Reports will take place in New York City on April 7, 2020, and it hones in on the bioelectronic medicine aspect of neurotechnology

[10:40] Neurotech Reports has released an updated version of two whitepapers, one of which describes funding opportunities for startups, and one discusses venture capital funding

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 product.

Top Three Take Aways:

1. Goode Compliance International moves in and works with companies needing assistance for their products passing regulation by taking a personal approach of collaboration.

2. Goode ensures that innovational products often need to be created regardless of experience; service based ventures often require much more experience. 

3. Ensure a valid and strong plan is present when starting a company with the necessary investors, patents, and team; do not confuse action with traction.

Show Notes:

[0:00] Ladan introduces Roberta Goode as the founder of Goode Compliance International which serves as a consulting firm that assists medical devices pass regulation.

[2:00] Goode explains how innovation and ideas must be born immediately concerning products.

[3:00] Consulting businesses and providing services requires experience.

[4:10] Goode explains how Goode Compliance International helps medical devices receive the approval of the Food and Drug Administration.

[7:00] Goode's organization sends consultants to help companies to alter and improve their products.

[8:30] Goode shares how her business model received success because her team would move in and create a plan of collaboration.

[11:00] Goode's team would be deployed for months for 9-18 months.

[12:00] Many underlying issues often become revealed when assisting a company.

[15:00] When hiring her employees, Goode would hire the top three or four performers in her classes through interviews spanning weeks.

[16:00] Goode mentions how important it is for her employees to pay attention to detail.

[18:00] Experts in the field of consulting with Goode Compliance International would be assigned as mentors to the graduates.

[20:00] Goode really enjoyed the field of biomedical engineering but found no life/work balance.

[22:30] Goode decided to start her own organization and enjoyed having a connection helping others.

[25:00] Goode began her venture by attaining several important jobs to gain experience before starting her own company.

[27:30] She ensured she returned something to the companies she learned from.

[29:30] Altrec LLC was started to assist clients to break down the complexities associated with starting a company and promoting a service or product.

[32:30] Goode ensured she had time for her own life through the flexibility of her second endeavor.

[34:00] Goode Compliance International fulfilled every contract and ensured the future for its employees in order to wind down the company by December 2017.

[36:30] Goode did not sell her company because she did not want to sell her reputation or name.

[39:00] Goode did not have the time to trust the investors to use her name.

[41:30] Investors, patents, and a strong team provide the route necessary in starting a company and making a product available.

[44:00] It is important to have a five year plan and an exit plan when starting a company.

[45:30] Just because one is doing many actions does not ensure they are making progress in their company.

Francois Ladouceur is a University of New South Wales professor teaching and researching integrated optics, silica and diamond-based photonics, optical sensing networks, and photonics-based brain/machine interfaces

Top 3 Takeaways:

•  "it's a liquid crystal-based transducer that can transduce an electrical signal into an optical signal that we can carry the away from the place of measurement"
• With electrical-based electrodes making the devices smaller increases the impedance degrading the signal which doesn't happen in LCP based electrodes
• "We have built a chip, which is bidirectional, it can read the action potential and it can stimulate the neuron. Again, entirely passive. It requires no electrical input. It does not dissipate energy."

0:30 "How did you get on this podcast?"

3:00 Is another advantage the lack of heat generated?

5:30 "What are the bio compatible properties of liquid crystal?"

7:00 "What are some advantages of this over other techniques?"

10:15 "How does the multiplexer work?"

15:15 "What would be the minimum width?"

19:00 "You haven't really published too much about this, but you said a big paper is going to be coming out?"

21:30 "It's really just for sensing, you couldn't stimulate with these, right?"

25:00 "When did this technology originally come to your mind?"

27:15 "Is there anything that we didn't talk about that you wanted to mention?"

Arun Sridhar is a cohost of the Skraps podcast which talks about some of the behind-the-scenes stories in science and technology. JoJo Platt is the other cohost and she has been on the show before as well.

Today, Arun and I are talking about the recently unveiled $9.8M Neuromod Prize which aims to reward those that are able to come up with a precisely controllable neuromodulation treatment. Arun thinks the prize could've been made better and I (Ladan) think that it is nice to see other forms of grant money.

Here is the NIH announcement

Here is the GSK Bioelectronics R&D challenge from 2014 that Arun had worked on

Top 3 Takeaways:

• "The truth of the story is that none of the solutions was  deemed to be good enough to warrant a phase two of the study, simply because those were all efforts that were already ongoing and the initial phase one did not result in an appreciable kind of jump in the technology. So people were basically taking the phase one money, they were retooling, rejigging it in a small way, resubmitting a proposal, five months down the line to actually get the bigger pot of money."

• "When you're always running against a clock that is an inefficient way to develop a therapy. Because when you're developing a therapy, you should be focusing on the right things. And therefore, because you are always on a race against the clock I'm not saying that people are going to cut corners, but just that it's actually an inefficient way, because just because somebody is getting their first, it doesn't necessarily mean that's the best solution"

• "How is somebody going to come up with a proposal to put in for a neuromod prize to develop a therapy focused on a novel neuro target that controls more than one function with the ability to selectively modulate it and to take that into the clinic? It just seems like very wishful thinking.

0:30 "How are you doing?"

2:30 This could be a more efficient way to distribute money, what do you think?

10:15 "I always believe in actually copying right and copying left"

14:45 "It sounds like a lot of money. But then when it comes down to it, it's actually not that much."

20:00 "If somebody loses a million dollars of their own money by not winning a prize, that's on them. So what's the harm in that? "

26:30 "What would you recommend? What would be another system?"

36:15 "if they don't meet the criteria, you don't have to give that money. You could just keep repeating that prize, potentially every two years, every four years and save that money"

38:00 "When do you think it would make more sense to do something like this?"

38:45 "Do you want to talk about your podcast?"

42:30 "Is there anything that we didn't talk about that you wanted to mention?"

It was a pleasure to talk with Danny McDonnell of Ripple Neuro which is also based in Utah. In this episode we talk about the beginnings of the company and growing organically. He talks about some of the advantages of some new experimental experimentation such as being able to upload your own code and having the data acquisition system be portable.

I had trouble with the audio in this file. I was only able to salvage one of the audio files and tried to improve it as best as I could

I love Isaac Arthur's Science and Futurism Youtube channel and podcast. So when he covered the topic of Mind Augmentation I asked him if I could share the show on this channel as well. It is a bit different than what this podcast usually is about since it deals with the more science fiction possibilities 100 years in advance. Nonetheless, I think it is very interesting and I had never heard some of these ideas. It should be a fun thought experiment and hopefully, it can spark some new ideas of what is possible.

Top 3 Takeaways:

• "Once you understand your product, who's going to be using it, you can then build a risk assessment around that. But if you do not know what your product is, and you do not know the modes of failure, you really are going to struggle with this process."

• "So the UK is relatively easy for software devices. The EU has now become more difficult. Whereas previously the EU was considered to be easier than the US FDA, now companies are now considering the US FDA first, as they find that regulatory pathway easier"

• "build quality and regulatory at the start of your idea"

0:45 "Do you want to introduce yourself?"

2:15 "What do you exactly do day to day?"

4:00 "How does this how does this relate to neural implants?"

7:15 How is software different from physical devices in regulatory approval?

9:00 "Let's say you're you have really cool technology. What would be some next steps that you would see as you're trying to get FDA approval?"

11:15 "How are things different in the UK and EU versus the US?"

13:15 "What were you doing before you started the consulting?"

16:00 "What is a common mistake that you see being made?"

17:45 "Let's talk about the podcast the MedTech podcast."

22:30 "Do you want to talk about the time zone shifts?"

Mark Domyahn is a partner at JD Lymon where they help companies develop healthcare strategies. They help companies understand their unique value proposition and optimize their market potential.

Top 3 Takeaways:

•  "the FDA writes zero checks. They give you a license to hunt, but they don't guarantee you kill anything"
• "What I'm hearing more and more is the first question out of investor's mouth isn't what's your FDA pathway, it's what's your reimbursement strategy. Because FDA is at least a somewhat known entity. And they're the last entity that will tell you as a company "if you do this study, if you do this. We will get you to market. We will give you the clearance or the approval." Payers will never tell you that I've never had a payer say that if you do this randomized controlled study, or if you do this post-market registry, I will pay for your device at the price you want it. That doesn't happen. So you're guessing a little bit."
• "The three things is: Marketing is what do I want to be able to say about my product? Regulatory is what can I say without going to jail? And then reimbursement is who's going to pay. Those three things, in my opinion should be dictating what your clinical strategy is. Not one, not two, but all three of those things."

0:30 "Do you want to introduce yourself?"

1:45 "What are some costs and benefits of all of those different

options- VA, insurance, private payers?"

3:15 "What's the process of getting reimbursement approved?"

5:45 "What are some common timelines timeframes that we're looking at?"

9:30 "There are lots of insurance companies out there. So basically if you're able to get one code you got them all, or do you have to individually go after them?"

15:15 "What are some big issues that you see going on or things that, people I guess are messing up or are doing incorrectly either be it on the company side or the insurance?"

24:45 What is your role?

31:45 "So what are some big successes or failures that you've seen companies go through and maybe one of each?"

36:00 "How did you get into this field and what's been your path, your career path?"

38:15 "Is there anything that we didn't talk about that you wanted to mention?"

mdomyahn@jdlymon.com

Dr. Gene Fridman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery and also has appointments with the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. His research is in the areas of bioinstrumentation and neural engineering.

In this episode we talk about his freeform nerual stimulator which allows for DC and any other waveforms without any electrolytic effects on the electrodes. This opens up many possibilities for neural stimulation. We also talk about his startup Aidar which is like a 'tricorder' all-in-one medical diagnostic tool.

This podcast is sponsored by CEITEC Nano, check out their Neurotech Device Manufacturing Capabilities here

Top 3 Takeaways:

• "The reason why they have to use pulses at the metal electrodes is that if you deliver electrical current for too long to a metal electrode that is implanted in the body, what you're going to get is you're going to get electrochemistry, the first thing that will happen is you're going to start forming bubbles because you're going to split water. It's electrolysis. So you clearly don't want to do that in the body. They have to use pulses charge balanced by phasic pulses otherwise, you're going to have these electrons jump across and cause chemical reactions"

• "By introducing hyperpolarizing current to the peripheral nerve what we're seeing is it's affecting the small caliber neurons much more so, which carry pain much more so than the larger neurons that carry other information. And so we're able to block pain at the peripheral nerve. We didn't know about this. It was a surprise to us."

•  

0:45 "Do you want to introduce yourself better than I just did?"

3:00 Do you want to talk about your device able to talk to both ions and electrons in neurotech?

7:00 Was a DC bridge rectifier the inspiration for this?

9:15 What is possible with these new waveforms?

15:15 "How big is it? And why does it need to be that size?"

21:45 CEITEC Nano Ad Sponsorship

22:15 Do you want to talk about your startup company, Aidar?

24:30 Are you doing any nerve stuff with the 'tricorder?'

26:30 How are you able to manage the time with the startup?

27:45 How did you get the project's initial data?

Dr. Bolu Ajiboye of Case Western University recently released the results on the success of the Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) team about helping a paralyzed man to eat and drink using the help of a brain implant.

At a poster session at the 2018 Neural Interfaces Conference, I talked to James Eles about his poster on the in vivo imaging of calcium activity during electrode implantation. They were able to image the firing of calcium neurons many times higher than their usual levels which is a sign of damage

Dr Melanie Ecker is a professor at the University of North Texas focusing on smart polymers for biomedical applications. She has worked on conformal and biocompatible neural devices to study the electrophysiology of the enteric nervous system.

***This podcast is sponsored by Ripple Neuro, check out their Neuroscience Research Tools here***

Top 3 Takeaways:

• The neurons in the gut-brain axis have not been investigated much by neural probes because of the softness of the intestines
• "The beauty about the intestines is in comparison to the brain, our probes, the electrodes don't need to be that tiny"
• The key to recruiting lots of good student volunteers is to bring donuts to group meetings!

1:00 Do you want to introduce yourself and talk about your work?

2:30 "What are shape memory polymers and how does it relate to neurotechnology?"

4:30 What were you working on in the Voit lab and what are you working on now?

9:30 Sponsorship by Ripple Neuro

10:30 Are traditional neural probes too stiff for the intestines?

17:15 What are the conductive components of the flexible interfaces?

19:15 Do these conductive polymers last long in the body or are they dissolved quickly?

20:45 "If you had unlimited funding, what would you do?"

23:15 Do you have any tips on how to recruit so many students?

24:30 "Is there anything that we didn't cover that you wanted to mention?"

Ryan Tanaka is the host of Neura Pod which is the Youtube channel and podcast specifically about Elon Musk's Neuralink company.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDukC60SYLlPwdU9CWPGx9Q

"My interest from for Neuralink primarily started because of working at Tesla previously, and then just getting more and more exposure to Elon Musk and some of the other projects that he's been working on and then realizing that Neuralink is going to be a substantially larger company in the future."

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 stimulation can be used as a neuroprosthetic for everyday tasks or as a rehabilitation device to gain voluntary movement.

[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode with an interview accompanied by Jen French of Neurotech Reports with Tom LeBlanc from Bioness on the exhibitor floor at RehabWeek 2019.
[0:58] Tom introduces himself and his role in Bioness.
[1:08] LeBlanc discusses the legacy Bioness device, the H200, for upper extremity functional electrical stimulation and the target populations. The device has various programs.
[3:05] We move our discussion to the lower extremity device, the L300. LeBlanc describes the devices and the product extensions. It uses functional electrical stimulation with imbedded sensors and smart algorithms.

Dr. Bryan McLaughlin is the president of Micro-Leads, a medical device company working on implantable therapy for spinal cord stimulation. In this episode, he discusses his research and investigation into medical-grade technologies to treat spinal cord injury, as well as his collaboration with DARPA in this endeavor.

Top three takeaways:

1. The electrodes manufactured by Micro-Leads used for spinal cord stimulation target more fibers and have more electrode channels than other electrodes
2. McLaughlin is investigating medical-grade electrode technology for spinal cord stimulation that uses flexible materials
3. McLaughlin is collaborating with DARPA as part of their “bridging the gap” program for treatment of spinal cord injury

[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode and the guest, Dr. Bryan McLaughlin, at SfN 2019

[1:15] Micro-Leads distinguishes itself from other spinal cord stimulation companies by offering electrodes that reach fibers that couldn’t have been targeted previously, with more electrode channels

[4:45] This technology specifically targets pain, which is a major unmet need

[6:15] Dr. McLaughlin’s research company has devised medical-grade electrode technology using soft, flexible materials that can be used to help patients with spinal cord injury.

[8:50] Dr. McLaughlin discusses collaborating with DARPA to develop technologies for treating spinal cord injury

Dr. Andrew Wilder is the CEO of Ripple Neuro, a medical device company which specializes in neural interface technology and neuroprosthetics. In this episode, he discusses how the company plans to progress in the next decade, as part of their big 10-year announcement.

Top three takeaways:

1. One big advancement that Ripple Neuro is planning to make in the next decade is to hold clinical trials for neuroprosthetic upper limbs, and obtain market clearance for these devices
2. As far as the company itself goes, Ripple Neuro will be restructuring itself over the next decade to accommodate markets for both end medical devices and components for medical devices
3. Ripple Neuro is constantly seeking those who are passionate about the long-term sustainability of the company, as well as those who have a passion for solving challenges and having an impact on the world

[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode and the guest, Dr. Andrew Wilder

[1:45] Wilder discusses his background, how he became CEO of Ripple Neuro, and what the mission of Ripple Neuro is

[5:15] Ripple’s goal for the next few decades is to continue to provide solutions in the neuroscience space that can inform therapies for patients with neurological disorders

[8:15] Ripple plans on doing clinical trials with prosthetic limbs over the next five years, after which the product is projected to receive market clearance

[10:20] Ripple is producing both medical devices and components that other vendors can use in their medical devices, and part of the company’s big announcement is that the company is restructuring itself to accommodate both of these markets

[13:00] Ripple is not about developing solely one type of technology, but rather a continuous pipeline of technologies

[16:30] The company looks for people who are passionate about long-term sustainability of the company, and people who are committed to the idea of having an impact on the world

[19:00] Ripple has always had an expertise in sensing in stimulation, which is what some other companies are starting to work with

[21:45] An impact goal for the next 10 years is to have 10,000 devices implanted in humans

Anish Kaushal is an analyst at Amplitude VC which is looking at investing in neurotech companies. In this episode we talk about what they look for when investing into a company

1:30 "Do you want to introduce yourself a little bit? "

10:30 "How is venture capital different in med tech versus Silicon Valley?"

14:15 "So you guys do, would you say that you guys put more research upfront into investments vs Silicon Valley-style investors?"

16:30 "Due Diligence for, six months or a year, what are you doing during that time? What takes so long?"

21:30 "If somebody wants to be like the best candidate, what would be the best candidate for you?"

26:30 "You guys haven't invested anything yet, but what's on your radar?"

31:00 "And then how about for neurotechnology neuromodulation, neural implants?"

34:30 "What are some misconceptions or what are some things that people don't know about VCs and, med tech, VCs that they probably should know about, or maybe that they think is, but it's wrong?"

38:00 "Is there anything that we didn't talk about that you wanted to mention?"

Renee Ryan is the CEO and Dr. Kate Roosenbluth is the founder, CSO, and member of the board of directors for Cala Health.  The company creates bioelectronic neuromodulation devices to mitigate the effects of chronic diseases. In this episode, Renee Ryan and Dr. Kate Rosenbluth discuss how the Cala Trio device controls essential tremors. 

Top three takeaways: 

1.  The Cala Trio device uses the nerve circuitry of the body to calm tremors by stimulating a part of the brain through the wrist. 
2.  Accelerometer sensors in each of the devices assess the efficacy of each use. 
3.  There is a digital screen on the watch that displays time, length of session, and tasks. 

[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode and the guests, Renee Ryan and Dr. Kate Rosenbluth.  

[4:50] Dr. Kate Rosenbluth explains the history of the company and its goals.  

[7:00] The wearable device goes on the user’s wrist to stimulate the ventral intermediate nucleus in the brain. 

[9:00] The essential tremors are characterized by action tremors in the hands, which makes daily tasks incredibly difficult.  

[13:40] Cala Health plans to accomplish more wrist-based projects to help mitigate other chronic diseases. 

[16:30] Renee Ryan explains her transition from investor to CEO at Cala Health. 

[19:30] The demand for the Cala Trio device was so great that the clinical trials were fully enrolled within 6 weeks.  

[22:30] Due to the wristband having dry electrodes, the band needs to be replaced every 90 days. 

 [25:20] A new device trial has started that includes a new band technology.

Craig Mermel is the President and Chief Product Officer at Precision Neuroscience which is a company looking to commercialize Brain-Computer Interfaces using a minimally implantation method and a soft electrode device.

***This podcast is sponsored by Iris Biomedical, check out their Neurotech Startup Services here***

Top 3 Takeaways

• "The combination of both the nature of our thin film and the surgical innovations that we bring enables us to bring cortical surface neurotechnology to patients in a minimally invasive fashion."
• "Having 10 times the amount of money at an early stage before you actually solve some of the key problems can be a problem because it pushes off some of the hard questions you have to ask yourself."
• "We're thinking ahead to the future where you have tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or millions of interfaces. The amount of damage you do will become a limiting factor at some point."

0:45 Do you want to introduce yourself better than I just did?

1:30 Why did you leave Apple and Google?

2:30 What is Precision and why is it special?

6:00 What's the funding look like?

8:00 "Why hasn't this been done before?"

10:00 Are you thinking about licensing out the technology?

11:15 Iris Biomedical ad sponsorship

12:00 What's your role now in Precision?"

 12:45 "What are some of your biggest challenges?"

15:30 You guys raised $12M, why specifically this number?

19:00 "What are some, best practices or traps to avoid?"

21:45 Let's do a deeper dive into your work at Google and Apple

 27:30 How would you compare working at Google and Apple vs being in a startup?

29:15 "Is there anything that we didn't talk about that you wanted to mention?"

I've actually been in contact with Doug Clinton for many months but only now have done an episode. He is a managing partner at Loup Ventures which has recently invested money in companies such as Neurable and former guest Paradromics. In this episode, we talk about why their firm invests in companies which have a longer time horizon like medical device companies rather than software companies like in Silicon Valley. He talks about what he looks for in a company when investing and why their companies don't worry about FDA approval and even see it as a benefit.

Doug is also the host of the Neurotech Podcast which covers many similar things in the field of Neural Implants but with a eye more towards the investment side of things.

Eugene Daneshvar is a University of Michigan PhD graduate working on thin film neural implants but has since transitioned into the legal side of things having passed his bar exam and working with Wilson Sonsini as a patent attorney. This interview took almost 2 years to get done but we're glad we were able to do it!

  Top 3 Takeaways:

• "I think the main thing I'll say is you don't undermine your valuation by not having an informed and intentional patent strategy, and you don't have to go cheap. You know, I feel that you have to bootstrap, but if you work with certain law firms that are very entrepreneurial friendly, and my firm is not the only one, but I think that is a general statement, which is, you know, work with somebody who understands your business model. But then, secondly, work with somebody who understands your technology as well."
• "I want my clients to understand that I'm building something valuable for them. Let's ensure all that value is captured in the application. If not, it risks not just their business, but also their motivations for it. They aim to translate this information and idea to help a certain subset of the patient population."
• "Some people cut corners without considering the broader strategy implications. I suggest working with individuals who are willing to learn about the process. We're all part of the same community, and if you're listening to this podcast, you're part of mine. I want the best for you, so don't hesitate to reach out."

0:45 Can you introduce yourself better than I just did?

 5:15 Was it your idea from the beginning to do both a PhD and law school?

7:15 Why are patents important in the neurotech field?

11:30 What are some big mistakes you’ve seen in the neurotech entrepreneur field?

17:30 Is it better to have a strong lawyer or one that knows your field?

21:00 What is the process for a student wanting to spinoff a technology?

28:00 Have you seen deals go badly because of legal issues?

32:45 Is there anything that we didn’t cover that you wanted to mention?

Kirill Korotaev is the CEO and founder of Purple Gaze which is an AI Platform for collecting data from the brain using eye movements. ***This podcast is sponsored by Iris Biomedical, check out their Neurotech Startup Services here***

Top 3 Takeaways:

• "There wasn't any significant innovation in the eye tracking technology for the last 15 years. And we thought that if we use modern computer vision and image processing techniques, we could make it much more accessible and easy to use, which in turn would open up new applications and create whole new industries."
• "We've just launched in the United States. The Communication Disorders Lab at the New Mexico State University has recently acquired two of our FOXIE systems to conduct research on eye movements during speech and speech comprehension. So you should expect first preprints featuring our system in about half a year."
• FOXIE is a portable screen-based Eye Tracking system with a sampling rate of 600Hz that connects to any modern computer via USB

0:45 "Do you want to introduce yourself a little bit and your company?"

2:00 "How did you get into eye tracking?"

5:30 How have things improved since you started out in this?

9:30 Iris Biomedical ad sponsorship

10:15 "What's the company doing right now? And what are you planning on doing next?"

12:30 "What is the footprint of your device?"

13:30 Have you worked with Iris Biomedical before?

14:45 Do you want to talk about how the invasion of Ukraine has affected you as a Russian?

15:45 "If you had unlimited funding, what would you go after?"

16:30 "Is there anything that we didn't talk about that you wanted to mention?"

Gordon Wilson is the co-founder and CEO of Rain Neuromorphics. They work on technologies that improve memory processing, analog computation, and scalable systems. In this episode, Gordon Wilson discusses how Rain Neuromorphics recreates neural networks. 

Top three takeaways: 

1. Rain Neuromorphics prides itself on providing technology that has reimagined the analog multiplication architecture. 
2. GPUs are the standard hardware used for neural networks because of their capability of performing matrix algebra.
3. It is important to focus on technology that processes information at the source.

[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode and the guest, Gordon Wilson.  

[2:40] Wilson describes why building a brain is necessary for understanding it.  

[4:40] In this research, it is fundamental to understand the difference between digital and analog signal processing. 

[7:10] Processing in memory consists of using analog processors to complete matrix math. 

[9:40] The Rain Neuromorphics technology allows scaling up of analog processing to build larger neural networks. 

[12:30] Current projects include fabricating nano-wires that perform matrix multiplication.  

[14:50] Chips that are analog and scalable are very well suited to be the kind of device in brain processing.  

[16:30] The “memristor” is programmable and capable of changing resistance values.  

[19:30] Rain Neuromorphics completes multidisciplinary projects in the Bay area.   

[21:47] The product that Rain Neuromorphics will bring to the market will be a massive, sparsely connected array of neurons.  

[24:40] A “puff” occurs when wires are placed in a stochastic fashion in such a way that they are physically unclonable. 

Dr. Manfred Franke comes on again to explain some of the pros and cons to different educational approaches. We then talk about what we couldn't talk about last time: the approval of his neurostimulator device through the FDA. This device naturally stimulates a tear response in the eyes instead of adding artificial solutions. The device was approved by the FDA in about 4 years which suggests that the future of neurostimulators may be more nimble than pharmaceuticals.

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:

1. The Injectrode is basically liquid pre-polymer with conductive particles that are completely injectable.
2. The benefits of this procedure involve the fact that it is minimally invasive—it can be injected into deep structures relatively easily. The injectrode is softer and conforms better than a wire.
3. Baumgart’s team hopes to develop insulation for the injectrode; he would also like to increase the shelf-life of the injectrode and characterize its composition.

Show Notes:

[0:00] Ladan introduces the NER Conference he attended in March of 2019 and explains how he conducted interviews at the poster sessions.

[1:15] Ian Baumgart introduces himself from the University of Wisconsin-Madison working in Doctor Kip Ludwig’s Neural Engineering Laboratory.

[1:30] Baumgart introduces the Injectrode which is basically liquid pre-polymer with conductive particles that is completely injectable.

[2:15] His team eventually hopes to further develop the surgical aspect of the procedure to better administer the Injetctrode.

[2:30] Baumgart goes into the details concerning the setup of the experiment and the similarities observed throughout testing.

[3:40] The benefits of this procedure involve the fact that it is minimally invasive—it can be injected into deep structures relatively easily. The injectrode is softer and conforms better than a wire.

[4:45] The physical properties have yet to be characterized in the Injectrode.

[5:25] Baumgart’s team hopes to develop insulation for the injectrode; he would also like to increase the shelf-life of the injectrode and characterize its composition.

[6:00] His paper is currently in the Bio Archive and will be published soon; its name is A Truly Injectable Neural Stimulation Electrode Made from an In-Body Curing Polymer/Metal Composite.