SORIN Acquires UCL Spin-off NeuroTECH

SORIN Acquires UCL Spin-off NeuroTECH PR Newswire LOUVAIN-LA-NEUVE, Belgium, November 12, 2012 LOUVAIN-LA-NEUVE, Belgium, November 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- S O R I N, a global medical device company and a leader in the treatment of cardiovascular, has acquired N e u r o T E C H, a spin-off of Université catholique de Louvain (UCL). Established in the end of nineties, NeuroTECH was co-founded by M. Troosters and three members of UCL (Prof. C. Trullemans, Prof Cl. Veraart and Dr. J. Delbeke). During the first years of the company, the spin-off of two laboratories (Neural Rehabilitation Engineering and Microelectronics Laboratory) assisted in the development of a visual prosthesis in the frame of European grants. A world premiere took place in 1998, with the implantation of an optic nerve visual prosthesis at the Cliniques universitaires St-Luc, Brussels. In 2002, the company identified a new application for the treatment of refractory epilepsy. A novel implantable vagus nerve stimulation system was developed. ADNS-300, CE marked, is able not only to stimulate but also to record compound action potentials from the vagus nerve, using this information to potentially personalize the therapy and provide an improved outcome. Chronic recording of the compound action potentials of the vagus nerve has been another world premiere for Neurotech, which it achieved in collaboration with the University of Gent's department of Epileptology of Prof. P. Boon.