How imec is advancing bioelectronic medicine
The medicine of the future will increasingly rely not just on chemistry, but on precision electronics. Our partner imec is advancing a new, minimally invasive technique for selective stimulation of the peripheral nervous system (PNS). While peripheral nerve stimulation is already an established treatment modality, current methods often lack precision and can lead to unwanted side effects. Imec’s approach focuses on targeting specific nerve fibers with high accuracy, potentially reducing side effects and improving therapeutic outcomes. This enhanced selectivity opens the door to treating conditions such as inflammation, chronic pain, or organ dysfunction more effectively – and in some cases, it may even offer an alternative to drug-based therapies.
To Learn More About Bioelectronic Medicine Visit our Application Page.
CorTec provides the high-precision cuff and cable electrode for imec’s selective peripheral nerve (sPNS) stimulation solution. This is a key component to enable bidirectional communication with the nervous system – both the reading of neuronal signals and their targeted stimulation. This technology creates the basis for intelligent, adaptive therapy systems that can react to the patient’s condition in real time.
Imec’s solution enables a closed-loop system that continuously monitors, interprets and immediately reacts to the activity of the nervous system – for dynamic, individualized therapy that adapts automatically. The goal is a miniaturized, implantable system that can remain in the body long-term and can communicate wirelessly with external electronics.
“Our collaboration with CorTec marks a pivotal step in advancing closed-loop and selective peripheral nerve stimulation, combining our expertise in chip and system development, with CorTec’s enabling technology. It allows us to serve our customers through integrated solution and shared vision”
— Patrick Van Deursen, Program Director Health at imec
Fields of application: New approaches to chronic diseases
The most promising areas of application include chronic inflammatory diseases such as Crohn’s disease or rheumatoid arthritis. By stimulating certain nerves, such as the vagus nerve, the overactive immune response can be specifically influenced. Autonomic dysfunctions (e.g. in the bladder or bowel), chronic pain or neuropsychiatric indications are also among the potential fields of application.
The vision: implant systems that are in close dialog with the nervous system, detect changes at an early stage and immediately intervene therapeutically – without medication, but with a lasting effect.
A shared vision becomes reality
Imec is driving forward neuromodulation chip development, while CorTec is providing the enabling component that makes this technology possible. Together, they pave the way for a new generation of peripheral nerve stimulation systems: precise, intelligent, and personalized. The combination of microtechnology, neural intelligence and system integration opens up completely new perspectives in medical technology – more precise, more individual and more sustainable than ever before.
We at CorTec are proud to be a part of this electrifying future of medicine with our technology – together with imec and other strong partners on the way to the next generation of bioelectronic therapies. This is how we are shaping the future of medicine that thinks electrically and puts people at the center.
To learn more about imec visit their website.
More content on this project by imec can be found here: https://www.imec-int.com/en/expertise/health-technologies/implantable-devices/selective-peripheral-nerve-stimulation-pns
