UNSW Future Health Booklet - Exhibitor Pages - Digital - Spreads - v1.2 | Page 95

FUTURES EXPO SERIES

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GENERATION NEUROMODULATION TECHNOLOGIES
> Identified unmet clinical and market needs .
> Established proof-of-concept for several sub-technologies .
> Formed industry partnerships for several technology aspects .
Developing next generation technologies that precisely stimulate neurons to treat blindness , pain and inflammatory disorders
RESEARCH GROUP
Blindness , chronic pain and inflammatory disorders such as arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease are debilitating conditions that affect thousands of humans each year . While there are several therapies , most are riddled with side effects and effective in only patients with mild conditions .
At the Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering , this group has been developing a suite of next generation technologies to precisely modulate the activity of neurons in the body using electrical stimulation , as a “ bioelectronic ” means to comprehensively treat such conditions .
The research is divided into several programs spanning from development of new implantable materials and coatings that are “ bio-friendly ” and efficient electronic chip design , to sophisticated computational neuroscience , and effectiveness testing in living biological organisms .
The group has currently established proof of concept and is actively working with several industry partners to further develop the technology , with the near future aims of first-in-human clinical trials and licensing of intellectual property .
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