PainRelief.com Interview with:
Christopher M Proctor, PhD
Group Leader, Bionic Systems Group
BBSRC David Phillips Fellow
Electrical Engineering Division University of Cambridge
United Kingdom
PainRelief.com: What is the background for this study? What types of pain might be amenable to treatment with this device?
Response: Spinal cord stimulation has been shown to be effective for patients with severe neuropathic pain. However, the most effective devices that are clinically available today require a rather invasive surgical procedure. Our innovation aims to reduce the surgical burden while providing the best possible treatment.
PainRelief.com: Would you describe the technology?
Response: Our minimally invasive spinal cord stimulator is an ultra thin implant that can be inserted into the epidural space within the spinal column through a needle. Once in place, the device can be expanded in a controlled way to cover a large area along the spinal cord. Covering a large area allows for more precise targeting of the nerves that cause you to feel pain.
PainRelief.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work?
Response: We believe that this technology could vastly expand the use of spinal cord stimulation for patients with chronic pain conditions. We are currently fundraising to conduct further pre-clinical testing with an aim to be ready for clinical testing within 3 years.
Any disclosures? The main authors of this study are co-inventors on a related patent application.
Electronics with shape actuation for minimally invasive spinal cord stimulation
BY BEN J. WOODINGTON, VINCENZO F. CURTO, YI-LIN YU, HÉCTOR MARTÍNEZ-DOMÍNGUEZ, LAWRENCE COLES, GEORGE G. MALLIARAS, CHRISTOPHER M. PROCTOR, DAMIANO G. BARONE
SCIENCE ADVANCES 25 JUN 2021 : EABG7833
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