Newswise — Montreal – “The Challenge of Reimbursement: Can We Do This Smarter?” is the theme of “Innovations in Neuromodulation,” a June 6 preconference of the International Neuromodulation Society 12th World Congress.

The daylong event features presentations by leaders of early-stage device companies and panel talks by industry and investment experts.

The event draws about 200 attendees from around the world to share their knowledge about this rapidly evolving field.

“This educational event brings together clinical, engineering and investment leaders and entrepreneurs to help shape the future of the industry,” said co-chair Elliot Krames, MD, an internationally recognized pain medicine expert and emeritus member of the International Neuromodulation Society (INS) board who helped initiate the program. “This is unique chance to interact with peers and leaders in neuromodulation, and gain wisdom from key influencers about our field’s direction and promise.”

“A collective vision is particularly valuable,” added co-chair and INS President Simon Thomson, MBBS, FRCA, FIPP. “Hence the preconference theme ‘The Challenge of Reimbursement: Can We Do This Smarter?’ Together we will consider what evidence is most important to gather during device development to ensure future access to quality care for our patients.”

To see the full agenda of speakers and panelists, please visit: bit.ly/In-NM.

The 10 participating companies are:

Axonics Modulation Technologies, Inc. of Irvine, Calif., USA, which is developing a miniaturized, rechargeable sacral neuromodulation system (SNM) to treat urinary and fecal dysfunction based on intellectual property licensed from the Alfred Mann Foundation. Designed with patient and physician input, the system promises to advance the state of the art of SNM therapy.

BlueWind Medical of Herzilya, Israel, which is developing a miniature, injectable wireless neurostimulator to treat multiple indications through stimulation of the tibial nerve.

CorTec of Freiburg, Germany, which plans this summer to release a long-term multi-channel brain implant recording and stimulation system, Brain InterchangeTM, for measurement and adjustable stimulation in near-real time, with anticipated applications in therapy, rehabilitation, and assistive technology.

FemPulse LLC of San Francisco, Calif., USA, which has patented a first-line neuromodulation platform technology to treat overactive bladder and other autonomic conditions in women with a non-implanted, vaginally-inserted ring-shaped device wearable around a woman’s cervix to target autonomic nerves.

Lungpacer Medical Inc. of Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, is developing an intravenous phrenic-nerve-pacing catheter to preserve the integrity and endurance of the diaphragm in critically ill patients who depend on mechanical ventilation, to aid their recovery.

MicroTransponder Inc. of Austin, Texas, USA, was spun out of the University of Texas in 2007 to develop ways of using vagus nerve stimulation to treat under-served clinical populations; U.S. clinical trials are in process to treat upper-limb motor deficits due to stroke and to treat severe chronic tinnitus patients.

Neuronano AB of Karlshamn, Sweden is developing novel electrode interfaces, flexible in three dimensions, to stimulate specific targets while minimizing local inflammatory responses. Neuronano intends to collaborate on worldwide distribution of the technology for diagnosis and treatment of neurological conditions such as drug-resistant chronic pain, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, epilepsy and depression.

Neuros Medical of Cleveland, Ohio, USA is in clinical pivotal development of its Altius® Electrical Nerve Block system, which delivers an on-demand high frequency signal to block nerve activity utilizing an implantable generator and nerve cuff electrode. The device is being studied in amputation pain, with the potential to also address chronic post-surgical pain, occipital neuralgia, and trigeminal neuralgia. SPR Therapeutics of Cleveland, Ohio, USA is developing percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation systems to aid in the management of acute and chronic pain.

WISE Srl, based in Milan (Italy) and Berlin (Germany), is developing by means of a novel proprietary technology a new generation of leads for neuromodulation and neuromonitoring that are foldable, stretchable, highly compliant and minimally invasive. WISE will enter the market in 2016 by offering cortical grids for acute monitoring of epilepsy. By 2018, WISE will commercialize the first foldable, percutaneously implanted paddle leads for spinal cord stimulation, that will combine the advantages of precise, directional stimulation with the non-surgical positioning and removal.

Registration is available at: http://www.neuromodulation.com/ins-congress.

About the International Neuromodulation SocietyThe International Neuromodulation Society (INS) is a nonprofit medical society that unites clinicians, scientists and engineers to share scientific knowledge about all aspects of neuromodulation in order to encourage best medical practice. Founded in 1989 and based in San Francisco, CA, the INS presents up-to-date information about the full breadth of neuromodulation therapies through an interactive website at http://www.neuromodulation.com, chapter scientific meetings, the MEDLINE-indexed journal Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface, and its biennial world congress.