ARTICLE SUMMARY:
Medtech Innovator cohort companies Lungpacer, Neurovalens, and Phagenesis advance the standard of care for a broad range of indications with neurostimulation technology.
Often in medicine, a problem that manifests physiologically can be traced to its roots in a less visible neurological cause. Whether it’s breathing and swallowing during mechanical ventilation, falling asleep, or even reducing body fat, the body relies on the constant traffic of complex and specifically timed signals between the central and peripheral nervous systems. When the neural pathways that convey these signals are damaged or impeded, outside assistance in the form of electrical stimulation is needed to keep vital functions running properly.
Although the safety and efficacy of some neurostimulation applications are well-established, sometimes the pharmaceutical industry’s stronghold on their indication categories, combined with the stigma of a surgically implanted device that connects to the nerves, makes it difficult for these technologies to make inroads into greater patient populations. Other times, the role of the nervous system in the pathology of a given problem may be underestimated, leaving an open opportunity for a disruptive company to change the way the problem is addressed. In this installment of MedTech Strategist’s bimonthly MedTech Innovator feature, MTS explores three companies bringing new ideas in neurostimulation to the table with the potential to save time, money, and patients’ lives.
