And just like that, another two-week avalanche of notables.
💰 Just under a quarter billion in new capital, thanks to 1 BFD (big funding deal)
✂️ Just over a quarter billion in funding cuts to NIH BRAIN (sadly, a 40% gutting)
🧐 Landmark Neuroethics work announced in Colorado & Paris. So, now what?
👁️ A Hodak Moment brings “Science eyes” to my hometown. The Island = Eyeland.
📸 A local student event connected me with some of my favorite neurotech dreamers.
🗞️🗞️ Two new Forbes pieces by yours truly: The digital dementia screening market, and Blackrock’s big funding news.
💡Also: Brain lasers! Drone telepathy! Cocaine study! BCI-Neuromod convergence! And as always: New leaders, deals, clearances, studies, and more from the NT Frontier.
Lastly: stop me if you’ve heard this before but some exciting changes coming here soon… 👀
Funding
Blackrock raises $200m for majority stake of company by Tether.io (Bloomberg, TheBlock)
Note: I couldn’t resist publishing some quick thoughts. Please weigh in with questions, corrections, nuanced perspectives, skepticism, or other feedback; this is a developing story.
TVM Capital Healthcare Announces EUR 16 Million Investment into neurocare (Neurocare)
Neuromod startup IVEAcare raises $27.5M from Vensana Capital, Treo Ventures, and Hatteras Venture Partners; names CEO (MassDevice)
Monument Therapeutics, a Cambridge Cognition spinout, raises £1.5m for Schizophrenia clinical development (Cambridge Cognition)
University of Minnesota start-up SecondWave Systems receives $3 million to develop ultrasound-based anti-inflammatory therapy (UMN)
Commercial
Science Corporation Acquires Pixium’s PRIMA Retinal Implant, Extending and Diversifying Its Commitment to Vision Restoration Through Brain-Computer Interface Technology (Business Wire)
More about Science’s approach(es) to restoring vision (Washington Post)
Neuronoff Announces Safety and Functionality Success in First-in-Human Trial of Injectrode for Minimally Invasive Chronic Pain Relief (LinkedIn)
Beacon Biosignals and Takeda Launch Strategic Collaboration to Advance Neurobiomarkers and Endpoints for Sleep Disorders (Beacon)
Beacon Biosignals & Idorsia Pharmaceuticals Ltd publish Phase 3 Trial findings (Sleep)
Epiwatch hires new CEO for epilepsy seizure detection and alerting (PR Newswire)
Adjacent Health hires former Epitel Leader as Chief Commercial Officer (LinkedIn)
Note: Adjacent spun off from Teladoc in 2023. They “currently offer neuroscience services including acute teleneurology, general teleneurology, and remote EEG reading.”
MemoryCare AI announces partnerships with NVIDIA & Microsoft
Rippl acquires AI healthcare startup Kinto to accelerate building nation’s most advanced tech-enabled dementia care platform (Rippl)
From March: Linus Health acquires Aural Analytics (Linus Health)
META Dynamic Inc. Enters Strategic Partnership with Omniscient Neurotechnology to Distribute Brain-Mapping Software (Globe Newswire)
Tris Pharma Launches Digital Health Business to Develop and Commercialize Digital Products for ADHD (Tris Pharma)
Insightec announces Exablate Prime availability in Europe (PR Newswire)
Bioserenity updates commercial team and promotes new Business Officer (LinkedIn)
Mayo Clinic Neurologist Dr. Richard J. Caselli Joins SPARK Neuro as Medical Director (PR Newswire)Cordance Medical Announces Triple Patent Grant (Cordance)
Elara Caring Partners with Constant Therapy to Deliver First AI-Driven Speech-Language and Cognitive Therapy at Scale (Elara)
Tris to develop ADHD diagnostic with launch of digital health unit, Braingaze deal (First Word Health Tech)
Solaris Research Institute launches novel CRO for pain management (LinkedIn)
FireFly Neuroscience Announces expands Board of Directors in anticipation of NASDAQ trading (Globe Newswire)
Onward Shares 2023 Annual Report (Onward)
Magnus Medical Announces Commercial Launch of Groundbreaking SAINT Neuromodulation System (Magnus)
“What subsegment of the implantable neuromodulation devices market is the largest?” (LSI & LSIntel)
Inner Cosmos shows its mildly invasive skull implants can treat depression (VentureBeat)
Interview with Meron Gribetz of Inner Cosmos (twitter/X)
PRIME Study Progress Update (Neuralink)
Beijing Xinzhida Neurotechnology Creates 'Neucyber,' a Chinese BCI (PC Mag)
Alto Neuroscience Announces Positive Phase 1 Results for ALTO-101, a Novel PDE4 Inhibitor in Development for Schizophrenia (Alto)
Lenire from Neuromod delivers tinnitus improvement 'not demonstrated for any other treatment,' according to expert consensus (PR Newswire)
DATAcc by DiMe Launches Core Measures for Sleep (PR Newswire)
Regulatory
Blue Arbor Technologies Receives FDA Breakthrough Device Designation and TAP Enrollment for the RESTORE Neuromuscular Interface System (BusinessWire)
Medtronic receives FDA approval for Inceptiv™ closed-loop spinal cord stimulator (Medtronic)
FDA clears Epitel remote monitoring tech, AI detection platform (MassDevice)
FDA aims at trial innovation with new center at CDER (Fierce Biotech, FDA)
Medicare official says breakthrough device reimbursement rule coming in early summer (STAT)
ICYMI: The FDA has a new newsletter! Hopefully, they add some news to it moving forward.
Neuroethics & Society
OECD launches Neurotechnology Toolkit, an implementation guidance for the Recommendation on Responsible Innovation of Neurotechnology (OECD)
Note: This consists of “9 principles” and “13 thematic goals” across “5 elements.” Got that? While there are lots of good links to bookmark, unfortunately it’s not the best-organized report. Read additional context from Pawel Swieboda and Karen Rommelfanger.
First law protecting consumers' brainwaves signed by Colorado governor (Reuters, NYT)
Note: I’ve got decidedly mixed feelings about the importance of this. What does it mean, and importantly, what doesn’t it mean? Send me your thoughts.
Safeguarding Brain Data: Assessing the Privacy Practices of Consumer Neurotechnology Companies (Neurorights Foundation)
Note: See breakdown of 30 consumer neurotech privacy/data policies.
Building a Collaborative Community to Advance Neurotechnology (Dana Foundation)
Applying the IEEE BRAIN neuroethics framework to intra-cortical brain-computer interfaces (Journal of Neural Engineering)
BRAIN at 10: A View from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIH)
Neuroethics Magazine 01 - (International Neuroethics Society)
Is it okay to implant neurotechnology in someone in a vegetative state?” (Substack)
Articles, Analysis, Resources
$278 million cut in BRAIN Initiative funding leaves neuroscientists in limbo (The Transmitter)
Note: Neuro leaders are chicken little-ing about this. Industry folks seem to think it’s akin to a market correction. What do you think? Can scarcity breed efficiency or even innovation at the federal level? Penny for your thoughts.
Revolutionizing Alzheimer's Treatment: Updates on the Breakthrough Role of Focused Ultrasound (FUS Foundation)
Organ Neuroprosthetics: Connecting Transplanted and Artificial Organs with the Nervous System (Advanced Healthcare Materials)
Treating Chronic Pain and Depression with Ultrasound (University of Utah)
LITT: Using lasers on the brain to treat seizures (Mayo Clinic)
To be better at neuroscience, Biogen will invest outside the therapeutic area (Fierce Biotech)
Shorter, Faster, Cheaper: Powerful New Data On Digital Endpoints (Clinical Leader)
Beyond Neuralink: Meet the other companies developing brain-computer interfaces (MIT Technology Review)
Podcast: BrainSee's Breakthrough: Personalizing Treatment for MCI & Enhancing Brain Health (Virtual Brain Health Center)
A Wearable Tech Gives Pharmas & Therapists Better Feel for Changes in Mental Health (MedCity News)
The Mexican dataset of a repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation clinical trial on cocaine use disorder patients: SUDMEX TMS (Nature)
GrayMatters Health Wins Edison Gold Award for PTSD Treatment (PR Newswire)
How Center for Brain Health used animation to bring science communication to life (LinkedIn)
Unlocking Possibilities: Inside the NeuroFly Initiative (OpenBCI)
The convergence of neuromodulation and brain–computer interfaces (Nature Reviews Bioengineering)
🗓️ Events & Community
Washington DC People: Meet up with me May! My calendar is nearly full so hit reply ASAP.
May 1: Transition from EFS to Pivotal for Implanted BCI Devices: Patient, Regulatory, and Reimbursement Perspectives - Webinar (MCRA)
May 2: Neurofeedback Intervention Development: Opportunities and Challenges -Virtual Workshop (NIH)
May 2: Neuronal Ensembles 2024 (Neurotechnology Center @ Columbia)
May 6-9: SynBioBeta’s Neurotech track - San Francisco (SynBioBeta)
May 14-Regeneron’s Second Digital Biomarker Summit (Regeneron)
May 21 - 22: Foresight Neurotech, BCI and WBE for Safe AI Workshop - Berkeley (Foresight Institute)
May 31: Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Digital Pilot Program from NACC & Gates Ventures - Pitch Event/Webinar - (NACC)
June 3-6: BIO 2024 - San Diego (BIO)
June 12: (The Inaugural) Silicon Valley Neurotech Forum (RSVP)
PSST: Live in the Bay Area? Come meet me at this. It’s going to be cool.
June 17-18: 10th Annual BRAIN Initiative Conference - Rockville, MD (NIH)
Sept 19: Brainbox Initiative Conference 2024 for Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation - London (BrainBox)
👀 What did I miss? What’s coming up? Reply so I can add it next time.
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