Leland Stanford Junior University

Cervel Neurotech, Inc.

Other

Zap Surgical Systems, Inc.

Rio Grande Neurosciences, Inc.

Schneider Medical Technologies, Inc.

The United States Government As Represented by the Department of Veterans Affairs

Brainsway Ltd.

Cerval Neurotech, Inc.

Schneidor Medical Technologies, Inc,

M Bret Schneider

David Jacob Mishelevich

Karl A Deisseroth

John R Adler

Feng Zhang

Viviana Gradinaru

Doyle John Borchers, Iii

Jaimie M Henderson

Alexander Aravanis

Raag D Airan

Albrecht Stroh

Michael J Partsch

Michele Borchers, Legal Representative

Rogelio Moncada

Methods of treatment and treatment systems for performing radiomodulatory stereotactic radiosurgery to treat brain disorders in which target neural tissues associated with the brain disorder are sensitized to radiation by administration of a molecular substance and/or non-targeted critical structures are protected from radiation by a molecular substance, in order to treat disorders of brain circuitry. Specific embodiments disclose means for treating pain, obesity and drug addiction.

Radiosurgical neuromodulation close to critical structures

Removable marker implants having fiducial markers disposed on multiple elongate members extend and splay laterally outward when deployed thereby providing improved 3D localization and tracking of a portion of the patient's body for stereotactic radiosurgery. Such an approach is particularly useful for tracking of the uterus during radiosurgery treatment of uterine fibroids. Such implants can include an outer sheath that contains the multiple elongate members during delivery into the portion of the body. The elongate members can be slidably disposed within the shaft and advanced into an expanded deployed position by advancement of an applicator shaft or rod within the sheath. Marker implant can also be integrally formed implants with flexible arms having fiducial markers thereon that can be constrained in a sheath for delivery and resiliently splay laterally outward when released from the shaft. Methods of delivery and deployment are also provided.

Device for radiosurgical treatment of uterine fibroids

According to one aspect and example, a method for facilitating cellular interactions in biological tissue provides controllable activation of a selected type of stem cell among a plurality of cell types present in the tissue. The method includes various steps including the introduction of a microbial opsin into a region of the tissue that includes a selected type of stem cell, by expressing the microbial opsin in the stem cell. A light source is then introduced near the stem cell, and the light source is used to controllably activate the light source to direct pulses of illumination from the light source to the selected type of stem cell, for selectively controlling the growth and development of the stem cell in a manner that is independent of the growth and development of the other types of cells.

Apparatus and methods for controlling cellular development

Radiosurgical techniques and systems treat behavioral disorders (such as depression, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder ('OCD'), addiction, hyperphagia, and the like) by directing radiation from outside the patient toward a target tissue within the patient's brain, typically without imposing surgical trauma. The target will often be included in a neural circuit associated with the behavioral disorder. A cellularly sub-lethal dose of the radiation may be applied and the radiation can mitigate the behavioral disorder, obesity, or the like, by modulating the level of neural activity within the target and in associated tissues. Hypersensitive and/or hyperactive neuronal tissue may be targeted, with the radiation downwardly modulating hyperactive neuronal activity. By down-regulating the activity of a target that normally exerts negative feedback or a limiting effect on a relevant neural circuit, the activity of the circuit may be increased.

Radiosurgical neuromodulation devices, systems, and methods for treatment of behavioral disorders by external application of ionizing radiation

Methods of stimulating a target deep brain region using multiple Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) electromagnets positioned over a predetermined cortical regions each having a first-order connection to a target deep brain region and applying TMS so that the applied TMS induces spatial summation and thereby modulation of the target deep brain region.

Enhanced spatial summation for deep-brain transcranial magnetic stimulation

Stimulation of target cells using light, e.g., in vivo, is implemented using a variety of methods and devices. According to an example embodiment of the present invention, target cells are stimulated using an implantable arrangement. The arrangement includes an electrical light-generation means for generating light and a biological portion. The biological portion has a photosensitive bio-molecular arrangement that responds to the generated light by stimulating target cells in vivo.

System for optical stimulation of target cells

A variety of applications, systems, methods and constructs are implemented for use in connection with screening of ion-channel modulators. Consistent with one such system, drug candidates are screened to identify their effects on cell membrane ion channels and pumps. The system includes screening cells having light responsive membrane ion switches, voltage-gated ion switches and fluorescence producing voltage sensors. A chemical delivery device introduces the drug candidates to be screened. An optical delivery device activates the light responsive ion switches. An optical sensor monitors fluorescence produced by the voltage sensors. A processor processes data received from the optical sensor. A memory stores the data received from the optical sensor.

Cell line, system and method for optical-based screening of ion-channel modulators

Various systems and methods are implemented for in vivo use in a living animal. One such method involves stimulating target cells having light-responsive proteins and includes providing an elongated light-delivery structure in a narrow passageway in the animal, the elongated light-delivery structure having separately-activatable light sources located along the length of the elongated light-delivery structure. The method also includes activating less than all the light sources to deliver light to light-responsive proteins adjacent to the activated light sources along the length of the elongated light-delivery structure, thereby stimulating target cells in vivo.

Implantable optical stimulators

Stimulation of target cells using light, e.g., in vivo, is implemented using a variety of methods and devices. In one example, embodiments involve methods for stimulating target cells using a photosensitive protein that allows the target cells to be stimulated in response to light. In another specific example embodiment, target cells are stimulated using an implantable arrangement. The arrangement includes an electrical light-generation means for generating light and a biological portion. The biological portion has a photosensitive bio-molecular arrangement that responds to the generated light by stimulating target cells in vivo. Other aspects and embodiments are directed to systems and methods for screening chemicals based screening chemicals to identify their effects on cell membrane ion channels and pumps, and to systems and methods for controlling an action potential of neuron (e.g., in in vivo and in vitro environments).

In one example, a system electrically stimulates target cells of a living animal using an elongated structure, a modulation circuit and a light pathway such as provided by an optical fiber arrangement. The elongated structure is for insertion into a narrow passageway in the animal such that an end of the elongated structure is sufficiently near the target cells to deliver stimulation thereto. The modulation circuit is for modulating the target cells while the elongated structure is in the narrow passageway, where the modulation circuit is adapted to deliver viral vectors through the elongated structure for expressing light responsive proteins in the target cells. The light pathway is used for stimulating the target cells by delivering light to the light-responsive proteins in the target cells.

System for electrically stimulating target neuronal cells of a living animal in vivo

One embodiment involves modifying neural transmission patterns between neural structures and/or neural regions in a noninvasive manner. In a related exemplary method, sound waves are directed toward a first targeted neural structure and characteristics of the sound waves are controlled at the first target neural structure with respect to characteristics of sound waves at the second target neural structure. In response, neural transmission patterns modified to produce the intended effect (e.g., long-term potentiation and long-term depression of the neural transmission patterns). In a related embodiment, a transducer produces the sound for stimulating the first neural structure and the second neural structure, and an electronically-based control circuit is used to control characteristics of the sound waves as described above to modify the neural transmission patterns between the first and second neural structures.

Device and method for ultrasonic neuromodulation via stereotactic frame based technique

Medical systems, devices, and methods provide improved radiosurgical techniques for treatment of anxiety disorders (such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Panic Disorder, Social Phobia, Specific Phobia, and the like). Radiation can be directed from a radiation source outside the patient toward a target tissue deep within the patient's brain using a stereotactic radiosurgical platform, typically without having to impose the surgical trauma associated with accessing deep brain tissues. The target will often include at least a portion of the amygdala, with exemplary treatments being directed to targets that are limited to a sub-region of the amygdala. Rather than applying sufficient radiation to kill the neural tissue within the target, a cellularly sub-lethal dose of the radiation may be applied. Without imposing frank cell death throughout the target, the radiation can mitigate the anxiety disorder, obesity, or the like, often by modulating the level of neural activity within the target and in associated tissues.

Treatment of anxiety disorders by external application of ionizing radiation

Described herein are methods for modulating the susceptibility of one or more target or tissue regions, and particularly one or more brain regions, to a therapeutic agent such as a drug, immune agent, compound, radiation, etc. In particular, the methods and systems described herein may include magnetic stimulation (including transcranial magnetic stimulation) of target or non-target regions to modulate the susceptibility of the one or more target or tissue regions to a therapeutic agent.

Growing community of inventors

Portola Valley, CA, United States of America

M Bret Schneider