Sydney recently hosted a fascinating conference. The 14th World Congress of the International Neuromodulation Society brought together clinicians, scientists and engineers dedicated to the scientific development and awareness of neuromodulation, “the alteration of nerve activity through targeted delivery of a stimulus, such as electrical stimulation or chemical agents, to specific neurological sites in the body.”
It was a wonderful opportunity to network with others who share my passion, but more so it was a chance to hear some of the work that continues to inspire me in this space.
The developments in Neuromodulation are quite mind-blowing. They force us back to the table to rethink the connection between brain and body, and this opens the door for advancements that can change people’s lives in ways we’ve always hoped.
In our own backyard we can be very proud of the work of John Parker and the team at Saluda Medical. At the conference they announced the success of their Evoke trial for pain management using the spinal cord stimulation device that responds and adjusts treatment in real time. Watch the 9news coverage of the Evoke trial results.
This is a huge step forward in medical technology and a massive improvement in outcomes for patients. I believe John’s Evoke device has potential applications in many conditions including stroke, spinal cord injury, Parkinson's disease and spasticity. The principle of closed loop neuromodulation is to simultaneously measure the electrical activity of the nervous system and to deliver the precise electrical signal needed in real time.
This is the future of medicine: to be able to deliver personalised therapies, customised to the individual on a second by second basis. In the case of the Evoke system, this means maintaining therapy in the so-called therapeutic window 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. How many of us who have taken tablet medications could honestly say the we never missed taking a tablet and that we always take it at the same time every day? Personalised medicine avoids this problem, as the therapy is dosed and delivered automatically.
John Parker was one of our speakers at the SyNC Symposium in December 2018 and we’ve profiled him on the SyNC page.
Update 16 September 2019
Saluda Medical today announced the award of CE Mark and the European commercial launch of the Evoke® ECAP-Controlled, Closed-Loop Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) System for the treatment of chronic pain. The world's first commercial implants were completed in The Netherlands.
Dr Harold Nijhuis, Anesthesiologist and Pain Management Consultant at St. Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein said, ”Our team is dedicated to providing patients with the most impactful innovations to help manage their chronic pain and we are already seeing positive initial results with the Evoke System. For the first time we can directly measure each individual patient's neurophysiological response to SCS and use this objective data to guide how we program the system to best treat their individual pain complaint. This is a disruptive advance in the field of neuromodulation that will benefit a huge number of patients suffering with refractory pain conditions."
Saluda Medical is still pursuing Australian TGA approval and U.S. FDA approval.
Read the full announcement here.