Experts from Feinstein Institute, MIT and DARPA Discuss the Future of Bioelectronic Medicine at Packed SXSW Panel

Clinical trials of bioelectronic treatments for conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis and paralysis, along with future applications targeting diabetes and cancer, and improving prosthetics for amputees were among the wide-ranging topics tackled at, "The Future Body: Modulating the Nervous System," one of the best-attended of this year's SXSW health track. Bouton, director of the Center for Bioelectronic Medicine and vice president of Advanced Engineering at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, was joined by panelists Douglas Weber, PhD, program manager of the Biological Technologies office at Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Polina Anikeeva, PhD, associate professor of Materials Science & Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Author and journalist Liel Leibovitz moderated.

"SXSW Interactive is rightly celebrated as one of the best venues for showcasing innovation in a wide array of fields and disciplines including health care, and we believe few breakthroughs have greater capacity to have an impact on millions of lives than the research being conducted in the field of bioelectronic medicine," said Bouton. "Discussing ideas like restoring the sense of touch to those living with paralysis and advanced prosthetics for amputees or developing an electronic pancreas that helps diabetics without the side effects of insulin allowed us a rare opportunity to take our work out of the lab and into the public sphere, and I'm deeply encouraged by the warm responses we've received."

In addition to a brief survey of the field of bioelectronic medicine by Bouton, the panel included a discussion of groundbreaking research on bioelectronic technologies, led by Dr. Anikeeva. A summary by Dr. Weber spotlighted the cutting-edge work that has been done in developing advanced prosthetics for amputees, and efforts towards maintaining the security of the biometric data these devices collect. The panel was followed by a robust Q&A session touching on government regulation, corporate collaborations and industry disruption. To watch the panel in its entirety, click here.

About the Feinstein Institute
The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research is the research arm of Northwell Health, the largest healthcare provider in New York. Home to 50 research laboratories and to clinical research throughout dozens of hospitals and outpatient facilities, the 3,500 researchers and staff of the Feinstein are making breakthroughs in molecular medicine, genetics, oncology, brain research, mental health, autoimmunity, and bioelectronic medicine – a new field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. For more information about how we empower imagination and pioneer discovery, visit FeinsteinInstitute.org

SOURCE Feinstein Institute for Medical Research

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