With Naama Mayseless, PhD, Director of Research and Clinical Affairs, Tivic Health
We recently sat down with our Director of Research and Clinical Affairs, Dr. Naama Mayseless, who shared the latest exciting trends from the 2022 Neurotech Leaders Forum in San Francisco.
This forum brought together executives, entrepreneurs, technologists, and investors who are actively working to grow the emerging neurotech (bioelectronic medicine) industry.
Bioelectronic medicine refers to the therapeutic use of small amounts of electrical or other forms of stimulation, rather than drugs, to treat disorders.
According to Dr. Mayseless, an overall theme that emerged from the forum was putting the patient and their health needs at the center of care. Some notable conference highlights include:
- Bioelectronic medicine is rapidly changing the nature of treatment for a wide variety of conditions, ranging from ADHD and anxiety to muscular aches and pains in which traditional drug therapies have fallen short.
There is a big push to create more personalized, targeted solutions to give patients more control over their treatment. One of the ways to personalize treatments is with closed-loop feedback.
Closed-loop devices deliver electrical stimulation to targeted areas of the body while simultaneously collecting patient data such as heart rate or electrical signals, in order to hone in on the right amount of stimulation that the body needs. This creates highly personalized and targeted modes of treatment that drug therapies are not able to provide.
- There is also a big push for neurotech therapies to be more accessible by making them as minimally invasive as possible. For example, implants are being placed as close to the skin surface as possible, to make them more controllable and accessible to patients, with a device. This also makes the initial implant procedure much easier for clinicians.
- Increased efforts are also being made to get these devices to patients earlier in their treatment program, as opposed to being introduced after many failed treatments. This would give patients more treatment options with greater accessibility to larger populations.
- Another new and exciting trend from the conference was the increased focus on mental health and wellness.
Companies like Roga have produced non-invasive devices worn as earbuds and designed to treat headaches, stress, and anxiety by promoting relaxation and calmness. Sana Health makes ocular glasses that use audiovisual stimulation (light and sound) to provide pain relief, reduce anxiety, and promote deep relaxation.
- Among the compelling benefits that these wellness devices bring to patients’ lives is that they can be used at their convenience – at home or on the go. NXTSTIM’s EcoAI™ device is used for pain relief, rehabilitation, or muscle relaxation, and comes with an app that collects data, and provides closed-loop personalized treatments that enables patients to use it anytime, anywhere.
We are excited to be a part of this fast-growing industry with our ClearUP device – providing an accessible, over-the-counter treatment for allergic sinusitis, sinus pain, and congestion that patients can use at their convenience anytime, anywhere.
We look ahead to more innovations to come that will revolutionize healthcare and make bioelectronic medicine much more accessible to consumers in the near future.
Dr. Mayseless has extensive neuroscience research experience from her work at the Stanford University School of Medicine and is most passionate about using research and science to help people improve their care, health, and quality of life.
