A blog about what is new (and old) in the world of active implantable medical devices

Category Archives: Motif Neurotech

Motif Neurotech Raises $18.75M to Fund R&D and Clinical Study of Device to Treat Depression

Posted on by Posted in AIMD Business, Brain Stimulation, Depression, Motif Neurotech
Motif brain stimulator for depression

Image Credit: Motif

Rice University announced that Motif Neurotech, which was formed through the Rice Biotech Launch Pad, closed a Series A financing round of $18.75 million.  According to the press release:

“Proceeds from the Series A financing will be used to advance the development of Motif’s lead product, the DOT microstimulator, a miniature brain pacemaker that is designed to precisely stimulate the brain to restore healthy circuit activity to treat mental health disorders. The initial indication Motif is pursuing for the device is treatment-resistant depression (TRD), a form of major depressive disorder (MDD).”

 

“Pea-Sized” Brain Stimulator Being Developed by Motif for Treating Depression

Posted on by Posted in Brain Stimulation, Depression, Motif Neurotech
Motif brain stimulator for depression

Image Credit: Motif Neurotech

Motif Neurotech, based in Houston, TX is developing a “pea-sized” implantable brain stimulator intended for the treatment of depression.

An interesting preprint was published by Motif’s engineers in collaboration with researchers at Rice University, Baylor College of Medicine, and UTHealth Houston on their millimeter-sized battery-free epidural cortical stimulators.  The paper discusses the engineering of the implant, a 30-day porcine study, as well as an intra-operative human test of the device.

Motif’s concept is to implant the device through a simple outpatient procedure, and having the patient periodically wear at home a headset that transmits power to the implant to deliver episodic neuromodulation.