Biotech Innovations & Economic Impact
Biotech Innovations & Economic Impact
This page will discuss the innovations in Biotechnology that have resulted from Neural Engineering, the economic impact of said innovations, and of Neural Engineering as a field.
Three Products that Resulted From Neural Engineering
Neural Engineering (and the fields that are included within it) has resulted in many new products coming to the commercial market that help more people than ever before. Here are a few of those products.
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Neuroimaging - BrainVoyager is a powerful neuroimaging software package for data management and data analysis. It started as a tool for the analysis of anatomical and functional MRI data sets but has evolved over the years into a multi-modal analysis tool for fMRI, DTI, EEG and MEG data. The software is highly optimized and user friendly running on all major computer platforms; the current version runs on Windows (7/8/10), Linux (e.g. Ubuntu, SUSE, Fedora) and macOS (10.10 or higher). BrainVoyager is a 64 bit program supporting analyses of large data sets that need more than 3 GB of RAM. (Product Page)
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Neuromechanics - Impulse® has an easy pull trigger and lightweight but durable housing with micro-computer circuitry. Impulse® produces a controlled force that chiropractors can use to treat different areas of the body with virtually no strain on YOURS or the PATIENT'S body, while giving an accurate adjustment to the patient every time. (Product Page)
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Neuromodulation - The first neuromodulation device receiving U.S. approval was a Transcutaneous Supraorbital NeuroStimulator (tSNS). Also called the Cefaly device, it is approved in Europe and Canada, too. This device, now in a smaller, revised stimulator called Cefaly 2, is temporarily placed on the forehead and turned on daily for 20 minutes to prevent migraine. The study leading to FDA approval showed a significant number of migraine patients who wore the device daily for the designated amount of time had at least a 50% decrease in headache days. The Cefaly device electrically activates forehead nerves and creates a buzzing sensation. The signal goes into the brain turning headache pathways down slowly over time. This results in fewer headache days. (source)
Consumers Who Use or Need These Products
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Brainvoyager is for customers who work with data management and data analysis.
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MRI, CT, and PET scans are used by millions of people and patients each year to help diagnose thousands of different things with the brain, which is part of the Central Nervous System.
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Impulse® is used by chiropractors to treat patients' bodies without the patient experiencing strain/pain.
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Transcutaneous Supraorbital NeuroStimulator is used by people who suffer from migraines and other types of headaches.
Who Funded and Developed These Products
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Rainer Goebel is the one who researched about Brain voyager. He is the leader of the Neuro Modeling and Neuroimaging group at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience.
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Christopher Colloca is the founder of the Impulse® product
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Dr. Tepper was the founder of the Transcutaneous Supraorbital NeuroStimulator
Benefits of Using Biotech Products Verses Conventional Ones
Things such as the MRI and PET have huge benefits on analyzing the brain in real time, and before it there was nothing else that could match what they do conventionally other than analyzing the brain after the patient died.
Role of the Consumer Driving Technological Innovation
The average consumer has a huge role in driving technological innovation since they are the ones who give out reviews for the devices that are being made. They are also the ones who generate the demand that is needed to bring new innovative products to the consumer market.