A Medical Device Daily

Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems (Foxborough, Massachusetts), a device company focused on developing implantable products to treat neurological diseases and injuries of the central nervous system, reported that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office recently issued it U.S. patent 7,212,851, “Microstructured Arrays for Cortex Interaction and Related Methods of Manufacture and Use,” to Brown University (Providence, Rhode Island) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge).

Cyberkinetics is the exclusive licensee of the patent, which relates to the next generation of the company’s BrainGate neural interface technology.

“The claims contained in this patent form the basis for the development of a next-generation system that we envision will combine on-board processing and wireless signal transmission technologies,” stated Timothy Surgenor, Cyberkinetics’ president/CEO. “We believe that such a system will contribute significantly to our efforts to commercialize our BrainGate technology products, including our NeuroPort Neural Monitoring System, which has been designed to detect and predict epileptic seizures.”

Cyberkinetics said it now owns or holds rights to six issued patents and more than 50 pending patent applications covering systems, methods, devices and compounds for nerve repair, as well as neural interface technologies for diagnostic, therapeutic and functional restoration applications.

Cyberkinetics’ product development pipeline includes the Andara OFS Therapy for acute spinal cord injury, an investigative device designed to stimulate nerve repair and restore sensation and motor function; the BrainGate, 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 seizures due to epilepsy.