PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT TECHNOLOGIES (PDT) AND BIOMIMETIC MICROELECTRONICS SYSTEMS - ENGINEERING RESEARCH CENTER (BMES-ERC) PARTNER TO DEVELOP NEW MEDICAL DEVICES

Work focused on creating new industries and disruptive technologies

Lake Zurich, Illinois – July 18, 2010 The Biomimetic Microelectronics Systems – Engineering Research Center (BMES-ERC) is a research center funded through the National Science Foundation’s Engineering Research Center (ERC) program. An alliance with Product Development Technologies (PDT) and other leaders in research, development and biomedical engineering is allowing the center to match experience in technology innovation with experience in product development to drive translation of new medical device products.

The increased prevalence of eye and head trauma caused by battlefield injuries, e.g. IED-related injuries, is driving the need for new technologies for injury diagnosis, injury treatment, surgical instrumentation and imaging technology. The BMES-ERC is actively involved in the development of technologies in this area and has strategically partnered with PDT to accelerate their development by implementing their experience in market research and product development for military applications.

The ERC program is a 10-year funding program in which the NSF provides sponsorship to a center for the purpose of developing core science & technology for creation of new industries and disruptive technologies to advance the nation's position as a leader in technology. Of the 15 currently funded ERC's in the nation, the BMES-ERC is the only center focused on medical device technology and innovation. Our research effort is a collaboration of researchers at USC, Caltech and UC-Santa Cruz (our primary institutions) and U of Kentucky and Wake Forest U (our secondary institutions). The research is focused on the development of bio-mimetic microelectronics for the treatment of ophthalmic (eye) and cortical (brain) disorders. Medical diagnostics and instrumentation are also developed in support of these technologies – a direct result of research activities.

The BME-ERC uses the ERC's "System Engineering Approach" to develop core disciplines in science, engineering & medicine (called "Research Thrusts") to create and test technologies and concepts (called "Enabling Technologies") that are then combined into larger assemblies for addressing fundamental medical challenges (called "Testbeds"). Currently, the BMES has two Testbeds: 1) the Retinal Prosthesis Testbed designing an implantable microelectronic device that provides electrically stimulated vision in patients with vision loss due to retinal degenerative diseases, and 2) the Cortical Prosthesis Testbed that is developing an implantable device that treats memory loss via complex mathematical decoding of neural signals in the brain and consequent electrical stimulation of centers of the brain responsible for long-term memory formation. We have just initiated a third testbed called the "Cellular Prosthesis Testbed" but it is still in early development.

The BMES-ERC manages a research program, an education and outreach program and an industrial program. The industry program of the BMES-ERC draws in corporate partners to assist with acceleration of the technology commercialization process – either through technology co-development or acquisition.

For more information on Biomimetic Microelectronics Systems – Engineering Research Center (BMES-ERC), please visit http://bmes-erc.usc.edu/

About PDT

Product Development Technologies, Inc. (PDT) is a global, full-service product development firm with over 100 employees in eight offices worldwide. Team members have expertise in a vast range of product development disciplines, including strategy, design research, industrial design, user interface development, electrical and mechanical engineering, software development, laser scanning, and tooling. PDT’s award winning product designs have been recognized by BusinessWeek, the Industrial Designers Society of America, The Consumer Electronics Association, Inc. Magazine, Chicago Athenaeum of Architecture and Design, and Parametric Technologies Corporation. www.pdt.com