Funding boost for deep brain stimulation technology company
29 November 2011
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a therapy used to treat patients with Parkinson's disease and other degenerative brain disorders. It involves electrically stimulating a small region in the brain, which helps to suppress the symptoms of the disease and allows patients to regain control over their movements.
The electrical stimulation is delivered using a probe that is implanted in the brain and an implantable pulse generator (IPG), which supplies the appropriate signals to the probe. Current DBS systems use a probe that is a few millimetres in size, which often stimulates other areas of the brain in addition to the target areas and can cause severe stimulation-based side-effects.
When applied successfully, DBS can provide a radical improvement in the quality of life of patients with Parkinson's disease, but these side-effects have proven to be a substantial barrier to adoption for widespread use.
Sapiens will use the funding to develop a unique high-resolution probe that can be configured to steer the stimulation signals from the probe towards specific brain regions, referred to as 'steering brain stimulation' (SBS). It is hoped that this new approach will eliminate most stimulation-based side-effects and provide patients with Parkinson's disease with a much more effective treatment.
Richard Seabrook, Head of Business Development at the Wellcome Trust, commented: "Deep brain stimulation has proven to be a life-changing therapy for patients with Parkinson's disease. By refining the technology and reducing side-effects, this project promises to bring back quality of life to more patients living with this debilitating disease."
In addition to the support from the Wellcome Trust, Sapiens has secured an additional €6.5 million (£5.6 million) funding from the Michael J. Fox Foundation and Agentschap NL.
Michel Decré, Chief Technology Officer of Sapiens, commented: "The contributions from the Wellcome Trust, The Michael J. Fox Foundation and Agentschap NL demonstrate that Sapiens' unique approach of steering brain stimulation resonates with renowned, international organizations that have a long-standing history of supporting highly innovative research projects. We are convinced that the Sapiens high-resolution, thin-film probe, in combination with our image-based planning and programming software, will significantly improve the therapeutic outcome of DBS and make the entire procedure more tolerable for patients."
Sjaak Deckers, Chief Executive Officer of Sapiens, added: "Over €10 million of additional financing is exciting news for our young company. The independent recognition of the value of our proposition is a great boost to the Sapiens team, which is committed to improving the lives of more people suffering from Parkinson's disease and other degenerative or functional brain disorders."
Image: A brain in the form of electronic circuitry. Credit: Heidi Cartwright, Wellcome Images.
