Healthcare Industry News: Lou Gehrig's Disease
News Release - May 2, 2007
Dr. John P. Donoghue Presents on Cyberkinetics' BrainGate Neural Interface System in Plenary Session at the AAN Annual Meeting in Boston
Multiple Presentations Highlight Cyberkinetics' Groundbreaking ResearchFOXBOROUGH, Mass.--(HSMN NewsFeed)--Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems, Inc. (OTCBB: CYKN; "Cyberkinetics"; "Company") announced that John P. Donoghue, Ph.D., Cyberkinetics' Chief Scientific Officer, was a featured speaker at the "Hot Topics" plenary session entitled "Neural Interfaces to Restore Function" at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) on Tuesday, May 1, 2007, in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Donoghue was one of only five outstanding lecturers and leaders in their fields from around the world who were invited to present at the session. The AAN is an international professional association of more than 20,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals dedicated to providing the best possible care for patients with neurological disorders.
Dr. Donoghue's presentation provided an overview of the groundbreaking scientific and clinical findings from the ongoing pilot trials of Cyberkinetics' BrainGate Neural Interface System (BrainGate System). The BrainGate System is an investigative device designed to provide communication and control of a computer, assistive devices, and, potentially, limb movement for people who are severely disabled as a result of spinal cord injuries, strokes, or ALS. Dr. Donoghue also presented preliminary findings from Cyberkinetics epilepsy program, in which its neural interface technology is being used to study the onset of seizures.
"We have made significant advances in optimizing the brain signals that are detected and interpreted by the BrainGate System technology," stated Dr. Donoghue. "We envision this as a system that could someday enable paralyzed people to use their own muscles again to feed themselves and more. This same technology has recently been used test the ability to detect abnormal brain activity in epilepsy that could lead to early warning or even seizure prevention devices."
"Cyberkinetics' groundbreaking technology, intellectual property portfolio and early clinical results in the BrainGate and epilepsy programs enabled us to create a strong leadership position in the highly visible field of brain-computer interfaces," stated Timothy R. Surgenor, Cyberkinetics' President and Chief Executive Officer. "This wide recognition of Cyberkinetics by clinicians in the neurology and neurosurgery fields provides an important advantage as we prepare for the launch of the Andara(TM) OFS(TM) (Oscillating Field Stimulator) Therapy for acute spinal cord injury later this year."
Additional Presentations on Cyberkinetics' BrainGate Technology
- On Sunday, April 29th, Leigh R. Hochberg, M.D., Ph.D., Principal Investigator in the pilot clinical trial of the BrainGate System, chaired an educational symposium entitled, "Brain-Computer Interfaces: Frontiers in Neurology and Neuroscience," from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. In his presentation, "Intracortically-Based BCIs (Brain-Computer Interfaces): Introduction and Initial Experience in Persons with Spinal Cord Injury or Brain Stem Stroke," Dr. Donoghue presented results from Cyberkinetics clinical trial for those with spinal cord injury and stroke. His presentation was followed by Dr. Hochberg's presentation, "Intracortically-Based BCIs: Initial Experience in Persons with ALS, and Other Possible Uses for BCIs in Neurology," in which he reported on the first participant in the trial with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig's Disease).
- On Wednesday, May 2nd, Dr. Hochberg, presents a talk entitled "Cortical Control of Assistive Devices by Persons with Tetraplegia" on the safety and feasibility for people that are paralyzed and unable to speak to use the BrainGate System and their thoughts to control: a computer with various software programs; off-the-shelf communication software; and other external devices, including a wheelchair.
A founder of Cyberkinetics and a world-recognized leader in the research and development of neural prosthetics and brain-computer interfaces, Dr. Donoghue is the Henry Merritt Wriston Professor and Director of the Brain Science Program at Brown University.
Dr. Hochberg is a member of the neurology staff at Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. He is also Associate Investigator, Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Center for Restorative and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Veterans Affairs, Providence, Rhode Island, as well as Instructor in Neurology at Harvard Medical School and Investigator in Neuroscience at Brown University.
About Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems, Inc.
Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems, Inc., a leader in the neurotechnology industry, is developing neural stimulation, sensing and processing technology to improve the lives of those with severe paralysis resulting from spinal cord injuries, neurological disorders and other conditions of the nervous system. Cyberkinetics' product development pipeline includes: Andara(TM) OFS(TM) Therapy for acute spinal cord injury, an investigative device designed to stimulate nerve repair and restore sensation and motor function; the BrainGate System, an investigative device designed to provide communication and control of a computer, assistive devices, and, ultimately, limb movement; and a pilot program in the detection and prediction of seizures due to Epilepsy. Additional information is available at Cyberkinetics' website at http://www.cyberkineticsinc.com.
Forward-Looking Statements This announcement contains forward-looking statements, including statements about Cyberkinetics' product development plans and progress. These statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "believe," "expect," "anticipate" or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements and reported results shall not be considered an indication of our future performance. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include our limited operating history; our lack of profits from operations; our ability to successfully develop and commercialize our proposed products; a lengthy approval process and the uncertainty of FDA and other governmental regulatory requirements; clinical trials may fail to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of our products; the degree and nature of our competition; our ability to employ and retain qualified employees; compliance with recent legislation regarding corporate governance, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002; as well as those risks more fully discussed in our public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, all of which are difficult to predict and some of which are beyond our control.
Source: Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems
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