WILLOUGHBY, Ohio — Neuros Medical Inc. has chosen Battelle to help develop its neurostimulation device to block chronic pain.
The agreement with the independent science and technology enterprise in Columbus enables Neuros Medical to begin its product development effort, said Jon Snyder, the company’s chief executive officer. “It will take the technology from the testing stage to a form that can be used in human patients for clinical study,” Snyder said.
Neuros Medical is developing a nerve-stimulating device based on technology created by Kevin Kilgore and Dr. Niloy Bhadra of Case Western Reserve University’s Biomedical Engineering Department and MetroHealth Medical Center, both in Cleveland. The “nerve block” system uses a pacemaker-sized generator and an electrode to stimulate nerves to block pain.
Initially, the device is being developed to block residual limb pain caused by complications of amputations, as well as chronic pain after surgery and migraine pain. The start-up recently landed $1.8 million during its first investment round and a chief technology officer, Zi-Ping Fang.
“Taking research from the bench to the bedside is a pivotal part of the commercialization process and the utilization of Battelle is a positive step in the process,” said Fang, a neurostimulation technology veteran, in a written statement. Fang will lead development of the Neuros Medical device.
Why Battelle, which is better known for its defense and energy work than for its health and life sciences practice?
“I talked to a variety of third-party developers that focus in this area,” Snyder said. “Battelle has done neurostimulation in the past. They have a great group that focuses on medical devices.”
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
Battelle wants to help develop another novel technology. “This is a key step in achieving Neuros Medical’s goal of helping patients suffering from chronic pain conditions,” said Bill Dunlevy, Battelle’s vice president of medical devices and diagnostics, in the statement.
