News PathMaker Wins Innovation Prize for Neurotherapies to Treat Spasticity, Muscle Weakness PathMaker Wins Innovation Prize for Neurotherapies to Treat Spasticity, Muscle Weakness by Patricia Silva, PhD | October 6, 2016 Share this article: Share article via email Copy article link PathMaker Neurosystems is the winnerĀ of the Universal BiotechĀ Innovation Prize 2016Ā for its innovative, non-invasiveĀ neurotherapy technologies to treatĀ conditions linked toĀ neural pathway disruption, including multiple sclerosis (MS). The selectionĀ was announced at Innovation Days, an international event honoring the best in the life sciences andĀ heldĀ in Paris on Oct. 3ā4. Launched in 2009 byĀ a division of the Universal Medica Group, calledĀ Universal Biotech, the prize rewards project holders in health fields like biotech, medtech, diagnostics and e-health.Ā Competing this year with 259 entrants from 38 countries, PathMaker was selected after four evaluation rounds, with awards granted in both the Medtech and Biotech categories. Ā The company will receive a shared prize ofĀ ā¬30,000 (about $33,o00), plus consulting services. AĀ jury panel of international specialists evaluatedĀ the companies according to the scientific quality of their innovation, level of intellectual property, quality of the human resources, project feasibility, andĀ chance of success on the market or investor interest. āAt PathMaker, we are tremendously honored and excited to have been awarded the Innovation Prize 2016,ā Nader Yaghoubi, MD, PhD, president and chief executive officer of PathMaker, saidĀ in a press release. āThis prestigious prize reflects not only the rapid progress our expert team has made in translating fundamental discoveries into novel therapeutic devices, but the human impact our non-invasive technology will have for patients with paralysis, muscle weakness and spasticity.ā PathMaker is developing non-invasiveĀ neurotherapy systemsĀ for patients with neuromotor disorders, such as multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, and stroke. According to the company, these disorders affect 48 million people in the U.S., Europe, and China alone. PathMakerās first product, MyoRegulator, is a non-invasive treatment for muscle spasticity (tight or stiff muscles, and the inability to exercise control of those muscles) based on the companyās proprietary DoubleStim technology, which provides simultaneous stimulation at spinal andĀ peripheral sites. The stimulation has been shown in animal studiesĀ to suppress hyperexcitable spinal circuits and reduce spasticity. MyoRegulator is now in Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approvedĀ human clinical trials. In addition, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)Ā has given positive confirmation thatĀ clinical trialsĀ for MyoRegulator constitute non-significant risk (NSR) device studies, and an Investigational Device Application would not be necessary for the trialĀ to proceed. MyoRegulator was also one of the first products designated for the FDAās Expedited Access Pathway (EAP),Ā a new pathway intendedĀ to speedĀ theĀ development, assessment, and reviewĀ of potentialĀ breakthrough products in areas of medical need. According to an announcementĀ in April, PathMakerĀ began a clinical study,Ā together with Northwell Health andĀ The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, to evaluate the safety and efficacy ofĀ MyoRegulator inĀ the treatment of muscle spasticity. The companyās second product, MyoAmplifier,Ā is an advanced platform, again based on TripleStim technology, providing simultaneous and non-invasive stimulation to cortical (motor cortex), spinal and peripheral muscle sites. The system integrates magnetic and electrical stimulation to treat patients with paralysis and muscle weakness. ItĀ has been shown in animal studies and in preclinical human studies to stimulate disrupted motor pathways and enable delivery of stronger cortical signals, driving a stronger muscle response. Print This Page About the Author Patricia Silva, PhD PatrĆcia holds a PhD in medical microbiology and infectious diseases from the Leiden University Medical Center, Netherlands, and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Lisbon, Portugal. Her work in academia was mainly focused on molecular biology and the genetic traits of infectious agents such as viruses and parasites. PatrĆcia earned several travel awards to present her work at international scientific meetings. She is a published author of several peer-reviewed science articles. Tags muscle spasticity, MyoRegulator, PathMaker Neurosystems
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