BELLEFONTE, PA – Actuated Medical Inc. has been awarded a Fast-track Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health-National Institute of Mental Health (NIH-NIMH) entitled “Development of an Acoustic Implant Protection (AIP) system to improve performance and longevity of neural interfaces”. The project partners with Associate Professor (TK) Kozai from the Department of Bioengineering, The University of Pittsburgh.

Electrodes inserted into the nervous system may revolutionize treatment for a range of medical conditions (e.g., prosthetic control for amputees, restoring mobility for stroke patients). Unfortunately, the body looks at the inserted electrodes as foreign objects and attacks them which causes the device to fail over time. This project develops and tests a device that minimizes the body’s negative response resulting in longer electrode life.

“We are very excited to develop our acoustic system to extend the life of neural electrodes as these electrodes have significant promise of treating patients with neurological conditions. We are partnering with a recognized leader in the field Dr. Kozai who will test our system.” said Maureen L. Mulvihill, Actuated Medical President, CEO, and Co-Founder.

“This is a very rewarding collaboration and we’re already starting to see some very exciting and promising results, which would open up many more possibilities” said Takashi D.Y. Kozai, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh.

More information about Actuated neural device innovations. See www.neuralglider.com