Business Wire06.04.18
NeuroPace Inc., a Silicon Valley-based medical technology company, today announced the launch of its Next Gen RNS System for the treatment of refractory epilepsy, which affects an estimated 1 million people in the United States alone. The RNS System is a type of brain-computer interface that treats seizures by continuously monitoring brain waves, recognizing each patient’s unique “seizure onset fingerprint,” and automatically responding with imperceptible electrical pulses before seizures occur.
Epilepsy is a chronic disorder originating in the brain, characterized by unpredictable seizures. Approximately 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, making it one of the most common neurological diseases globally.1 In the United States, more people live with epilepsy than autism spectrum disorder, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy combined. About one-third of individuals living with epilepsy are refractory to medications.2
“NeuroPace revolutionized epilepsy therapy in 2013 with the introduction of the world’s first closed-loop, brain-responsive neuromodulation system—the only device that applies brain-computer interface technology to successfully treat refractory focal onset epilepsy,” said NeuroPace CEO Frank Fischer. “We have maintained our relentless focus on product innovation, and are excited to make the Next Gen RNS System—with twice the longevity and twice the memory in the same size device—available to our physician customers and their patients.”
The Next Gen RNS System is a major advance over the existing system. The battery life of the RNS Neurostimulator has more than doubled from 3.9 to 8.4 years at medium stimulation settings, which will allow patients to live their lives with fewer interruptions. The amount of available memory has also doubled, which will allow physicians to review a wider set of brain activity data.
The first new implantation of the Next Gen RNS System took place in New York City in a procedure performed by neurosurgeon Werner Doyle, MD. “We are delighted to have a patient at NYU Langone Health be the first to receive the new device, which provides a therapeutic option for prolonged seizure control in patients with epilepsy who do not respond to medications,” said Director of NYU Langone’s Comprehensive Epilepsy Center Orrin Devinsky, M.D. “Our goal as epilepsy providers is to utilize the latest technologies to explore every treatment avenue to positively impact the lives of patients with this devastating condition going forward.”
“In addition to compelling therapeutic benefits, the RNS System allows clinicians—for the first time—to view their patient’s brain activity over months and years,” noted NeuroPace chief medical officer, Martha Morrell, M.D. “With nearly 3 million stored electrographic recordings, we now have an unprecedented window to the brain. We are optimistic that the clinical insights gained from this large body of data will help clinicians continue to improve their patients’ outcomes and, ultimately, transform the way we treat brain disorders.”
References
1 World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/epilepsy
2 Epilepsy Foundation. “Facts about Seizures and Epilepsy.” http://www.epilepsy.com/learn/epilepsy-101/facts-about-seizures-and-epilepsy
Epilepsy is a chronic disorder originating in the brain, characterized by unpredictable seizures. Approximately 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, making it one of the most common neurological diseases globally.1 In the United States, more people live with epilepsy than autism spectrum disorder, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy combined. About one-third of individuals living with epilepsy are refractory to medications.2
“NeuroPace revolutionized epilepsy therapy in 2013 with the introduction of the world’s first closed-loop, brain-responsive neuromodulation system—the only device that applies brain-computer interface technology to successfully treat refractory focal onset epilepsy,” said NeuroPace CEO Frank Fischer. “We have maintained our relentless focus on product innovation, and are excited to make the Next Gen RNS System—with twice the longevity and twice the memory in the same size device—available to our physician customers and their patients.”
The Next Gen RNS System is a major advance over the existing system. The battery life of the RNS Neurostimulator has more than doubled from 3.9 to 8.4 years at medium stimulation settings, which will allow patients to live their lives with fewer interruptions. The amount of available memory has also doubled, which will allow physicians to review a wider set of brain activity data.
The first new implantation of the Next Gen RNS System took place in New York City in a procedure performed by neurosurgeon Werner Doyle, MD. “We are delighted to have a patient at NYU Langone Health be the first to receive the new device, which provides a therapeutic option for prolonged seizure control in patients with epilepsy who do not respond to medications,” said Director of NYU Langone’s Comprehensive Epilepsy Center Orrin Devinsky, M.D. “Our goal as epilepsy providers is to utilize the latest technologies to explore every treatment avenue to positively impact the lives of patients with this devastating condition going forward.”
“In addition to compelling therapeutic benefits, the RNS System allows clinicians—for the first time—to view their patient’s brain activity over months and years,” noted NeuroPace chief medical officer, Martha Morrell, M.D. “With nearly 3 million stored electrographic recordings, we now have an unprecedented window to the brain. We are optimistic that the clinical insights gained from this large body of data will help clinicians continue to improve their patients’ outcomes and, ultimately, transform the way we treat brain disorders.”
References
1 World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/epilepsy
2 Epilepsy Foundation. “Facts about Seizures and Epilepsy.” http://www.epilepsy.com/learn/epilepsy-101/facts-about-seizures-and-epilepsy