Andre Mercanzini on revolutionizing Deep Brain Stimulation using small directional probes by Aleva Neuro
Neural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions
Release Date: 09/19/2022
Neural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions
I n this episode of the Neural Implant Podcast, host Ladan welcomes and from , 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...
info_outline Stephen Ho: Exploring Neurotech in Cinema with the Neurratives PodcastNeural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions
Today's guest is from Blackrock Microsystems. While we've featured Blackrock guests before, Stephen's appearance today is driven by his podcast, , 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...
info_outline Eugene Daneshvar: Navigating Neurotech and PatentsNeural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions
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 . 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...
info_outline Paul Le Floch: Pioneering Neural Implant Materials with AxoftNeural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions
"Welcome to today's episode! Our guest, , co-founder and CEO of , 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...
info_outline Christine Schmidt: Pioneering Regenerative Neural Tissue EngineeringNeural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions
Today’s guest is who is a share who works in regenerative neural tissue engineering. Top 3 Takeaways: "We're trying to create scaffolds that can be templates for the body to repair itself, to grow around, and ultimately become natural tissue, seamlessly integrating with the body's own." "Other faculty were discouraging. This is because academia tends to prioritize scholarly pursuits such as papers and grants, often undervaluing applied work and its real-world applications." "Our clinical collaborator actively participated in the lab alongside Sarah. Together, they would work on...
info_outline Bioel 2024 Conference panel with Drs Jon Viventi, Tracy Cui, Ellis Meng, and Ivan MinevNeural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions
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 . (LCP neural implants), (PEDOT electrode coatings), (parylene neural implants), and (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...
info_outline Carles Garcia-Vitoria: Pioneering Pain Relief with Intrathecal Spinal Cord Stimulation with SpinallyNeural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions
In today's episode, we're joined by , 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...
info_outline Steve Goetz: Revolutionizing Mental Health Treatment as CTO of Motif NeurotechNeural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions
is now the Chief Technology Officer at which is developing a minimally invasive neural implant for the treatment of depression and mental health issues. Steve was at Medtronic for 26 years before moving over to the startup landscape. Top 3 Takeaways: "Starting a big program that you don't know how to finish is a very expensive endeavor, and so you want to really shake out all the science risk, all the technology risk, be pretty sure you can execute a thing before you turn on that big engine because it's expensive once you go" "We know stimulation of the dorsal lateral...
info_outline Eric Glowacki on cutting edge neural implant fabricationNeural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions
is a research group leader at the Central European Institute of Technology () 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 Top 3 Takeaways: "You can just buy stuff on the internet very simple red...
info_outline Gene Fridman on his freeform stimulator allowing for more neural stimulation possibilitiesNeural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions
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...
info_outlineAndre Mercanzini is the Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer at Aleva Neurotherapeutics which has worked in directional Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) device leads for Parkinson's and other diseases.
***This podcast is sponsored by Iris Biomedical, check out their Neurotech Startup Services here***
Top 3 Takeaways:
- "We realized during that time that the intervention that could benefit the most from the miniaturization technologies was by far and away, deep brain stimulation."
- "MEMS allowed us to align every single electrode into its position, have it almost prewired and decrease the amount of touch time that an operator would have to spend on the device as they're manufacturing it, which, which gives us a price advantage as well."
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"My advice to PhD students postdocs, physician inventors, and professors working on neuro technologies is that you have to work on something that will make a major change in patient outcomes. It cannot just be incremental. If it has any signs of only being incremental, it will be very difficult to get funded. It will be very difficult to get your early adopters to sign up and use or test your device. It's always a difficult metric to determine what that means. Is it a 20% improvement in symptoms? Is it a 40% improvement in symptoms? Is it treating a disease that is not treatable today? That is really the major choice you have to make as an entrepreneur in your own technology is whether your work will make a significant change in patient outcomes."
0:30 "Do you want to explain what Aleva does a little bit and a little bit of your background?"
3:30 "What would you say that is a special thing in Lausanne that maybe other places could copy or are not able to copy?"
5:00 "Let's talk about Aleva"
6:45 "Iris Biomedical ad sponsorship"
7:15 "What's DBS and how did Aleva get started? You were saying this spun out of your PhD work. What did that look like then? And maybe how has it changed now?"
13:15 "Why is having directional leads was such a design problem?"
16:45 "What has the evolution been in the last decade, and then maybe what's future directions?"
20:30 You raised $70 million to get through the regulatory pathway, this seems like alot, couldn't you do it with 5 or 10 million?
23:30 Surgeons often like to stick with what they know, do you know if there would be a demand for what you are making?
25:45 Do you want to talk about wearables and how this fits in with your company?
29:00 "What advice do you have for people who want to follow in your footsteps and want to, create, raise $70 million and do you have to be in Switzerland to do this?"
31:45 "You've raised a lot of money and so is that good or bad and aren't you worried about being diluted too much?"
34:00 " Is there anything that we didn't talk about that you wanted to mention?"