Cyberkinetics' BrainGate Technology Wins Prestigious "R&D 100" Award.Annual Competition Recognizes 100 Most Technologically Significant New Products of the Year FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems, Inc. (OTCBB OTCBB See OTC Bulletin Board (OTCBB). : CYKN; Cyberkinetics) announced that the Company's BrainGate Neural Interface System was named an "R&D 100" award winner by R&D Magazine, ranking it as one of the most innovative new products of the year. The R&D 100 awards honor excellence and innovation and are presented each year to 100 new products. The BrainGate System, a brain-computer interface A brain-computer interface (BCI), sometimes called a direct neural interface or a brain-machine interface, is a direct communication pathway between a human or animal brain (or brain cell culture) and an external device. technology, is designed to control movement of assistive devices by neural signaling - that is, by thought alone. The technology is currently being investigated in two clinical trials in people with severe paralysis due to spinal cord injury Spinal Cord Injury Definition Spinal cord injury is damage to the spinal cord that causes loss of sensation and motor control. Description Approximately 10,000 new spinal cord injuries (SCIs) occur each year in the United States. , stroke and ALS Als (äls), Ger. Alsen, island, 121 sq mi (313 sq km), Sønderjylland co., S Denmark, in the Lille Bælt, separated from the mainland by the narrow Alensund. (Lou Gehrig's disease Lou Geh·rig's disease n. See amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. ). "We are honored to be picked for this prestigious industry award," stated Timothy R. Surgenor, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems, Inc. "It reflects the achievements of our work in neural signaling technology and its potential to significantly improve the quality of life for people with severe paralysis." "We are developing the BrainGate System to one day enable paralyzed par·a·lyze tr.v. par·a·lyzed, par·a·lyz·ing, par·a·lyz·es 1. To affect with paralysis; cause to be paralytic. 2. To make unable to move or act: paralyzed by fear. people to achieve more independence by using their own thoughts to control a wide range of external devices, including wheelchairs, as well as to someday move their own limbs," added John P. Donoghue John P. Donoghue (born 1957) is an American politician from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. He is currently serving in his 5th term in the Maryland House of Delegates, representing Maryland's District 2C in Washington County. , Ph.D., Cyberkinetics' Chief Scientific Officer and Director of the Brain Science Program at Brown University. Battelle, the world's largest non-profit independent research and development organization, is co-winner of the award with Cyberkinetics. "In 2006 we made a breakthrough in the development of new techniques that more accurately interpreted the brain signals we were gathering," said Chad Bouton bouton /bou·ton/ (boo-tahn´) [Fr.] a buttonlike swelling on an axon where it has a synapse with another neuron. synaptic bouton b. terminal. , Senior Research Engineer at Battelle Medical Device Solutions, who worked with the BrainGate engineering team. "For the first time this allowed a person with the sensor to demonstrate control of a wheelchair directly through thought alone." Winning candidates of the R&D 100 awards are identified by an independent panel of judges Panel of Judges is an indie pop band from Melbourne, Australia. Members
About the BrainGate System The BrainGate Neural Interface System is a proprietary, investigational brain-computer interface (BCI BCI Bat Conservation International BCI Brain-Computer Interface BCI Business Continuity Institute BCI Business Cycle Indicators BCI Banco de Credito e Inversiones (Chilean bank) BCI Bell Canada International ) that consists of an internal sensor to detect brain cell activity and external processors that convert these brain signals into a computer-mediated output under the person's own control. The sensor is a tiny silicon chip about the size of a baby aspirin baby aspirin Therapeutics A popular term for a formulation that contains 81 or less mg of aspirin, used to ↓ blood coagulability. See Aspirin. with one hundred electrodes, each thinner than a human hair, that can detect the electrical activity of neurons. The sensor is implanted on the surface of the area of the brain responsible for movement, the motor cortex motor cortex n. The region of the cerebral cortex influencing movements of the face, neck and trunk, and arm and leg. Also called excitable area, motor area, Rolando's area. . The sensor picks up signals related to movement intentions and transmits them to computers, signal processors and monitors that enable study participants to control devices driven by their neural output - that is, by thought alone. The ultimate goal of the BrainGate System development program is to create a safe, effective and unobtrusive universal operating system that will enable those with motor impairments resulting from a variety of causes to quickly and reliably control a wide range of devices, including computers, assistive technologies and medical devices, simply by using their thoughts. About Battelle Battelle Medical Device Solutions delivers a comprehensive set of research, development, and product support services Product Support Services, more commonly referred to as PSS, is the Microsoft business unit with primary responsibility for responding to end-user and partner requests for assistance with the company's products and services. to medical device, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical firms serving a wide range of therapeutic and diagnostic markets. Integrating design, engineering, and life science capabilities, Battelle Medical Device Solutions supports customers through the complete product life cycle by offering applied research, device development, clinical research, and sustaining engineering services. About Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems, Inc. Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems, Inc., a leader in the neurotechnology industry, is developing neural stimulation, sensing and processing technology designed to improve the lives of those with severe paralysis resulting from spinal cord injuries, neurological disorders and other conditions of the nervous system. Cyberkinetics' product development pipeline includes: the Andara[TM] OFS (OFS, Norcross, GA, www.ofsbrightwave.com) A manufacturer of optical fibers and interconnect equipment. Formerly the Optical Fiber Solutions (OFS) Group of Lucent, OFS was turned into a stand-alone company acquired by Furukawa Electric in 2001. [TM] Therapy for acute spinal cord injury, an investigative device designed to stimulate nerve repair and restore sensation and motor function; the BrainGate System, an investigative device designed to provide communication and control of a computer, assistive devices, and, ultimately, limb movement; and a pilot program in the detection and prediction of Epileptic seizures. Additional information is available at Cyberkinetics' website at http://www.cyberkineticsinc.com. Forward-Looking Statements This announcement contains forward-looking statements, including statements about Cyberkinetics' product development plans and progress. Such statements may be considered "forward-looking" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA) implemented several significant substantive changes affecting certain cases brought under the federal securities laws, including changes related to pleading, discovery, liability, class representation and awards fees and of 1995. You can identify these statements by the use of words like "may," "will," "could," "should," "project," "believe," "anticipate," "expect," "plan," "estimate," "forecast," "potential," "intend," "continue" and variations of these words or comparable words. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual future experience and results to differ materially from the statements made. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning our future expectations, plans, prospects and future operating results as well as projections of cash and marketable securities Marketable Securities Very liquid securities that can be converted into cash quickly at a reasonable price. Notes: Marketable securities are very liquid as they tend to have maturities less than one year, and the rate at which these securities can be bought or sold has and sufficiency of funding for capital expenditures. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors including risks related to: our ability to secure regulatory approval for our products; our access to additional capital; our ability to obtain additional funding to support our business activities; our dependence on third parties for development, manufacture, marketing, sales and distribution of our products; our development of products; our ability to obtain and maintain patent protection for our discoveries and products; and our limited operating history; as well as those risks more fully discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's Registration Statement on Form SB-2 (file no. 333-144333) and our other public documents filed with the SEC. In addition, any forward-looking statements represent our views only as of today and should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any subsequent date. |
|
||||||||||||||

Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion