Ellyn Ito - MindVibe and Non-Invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Stress and Focus

In this episode of the Neural Implant Podcast, host Dr. Ladan Jiracek speaks with Ellyn Ito, CEO and co-founder of Innerstill Health, about their wearable neurotechnology platform and flagship product, MindVibe. This non-invasive device combines vagus nerve stimulation and acupressure-based neuromodulation to help regulate the body's stress response and improve overall wellness. Ellyn shares how MindVibe is designed to promote calm, enhance focus, and improve sleep quality through ultra-low electrical stimulation that users don't even feel. The conversation explores the science behind multi-mode stimulation, why avoiding sensation may actually improve outcomes, and how Innerstill is navigating the path from wellness device to potential clinical applications. Key Takeaways MindVibe focuses on regulating the nervous system—not treating specific diseases. As a wellness device, MindVibe targets stress, anxiety, and sleep by activating the body's "rest and digest" response rather than claiming to cure medical conditions. Multi-mode stimulation may be the key differentiator in neuromodulation devices. By combining vagus nerve stimulation with ear-based acupressure points across multiple frequencies, MindVibe aims to avoid saturation and improve effectiveness across different users. "Do no harm" design avoids the sensory discomfort common in other devices. Unlike many stimulators that produce tingling or muscle twitching, MindVibe operates below sensory thresholds—reducing cortisol responses and improving user adherence. Early results suggest improvements in calm, sleep, and focus. Users report reduced anxiety, better deep sleep, and increased focus—likely tied to vagus nerve activation and improved neurohormonal regulation. The company is using a "wellness-first" strategy to accelerate adoption Innerstill is launching through clinics and consumer wellness channels before pursuing FDA pathways for broader clinical indications like addiction, ADHD, and neurological disorders. Episode Timestamps 0:17 – Introduction to MindVibe and Innerstill Health 1:00 – What does "feeling better" actually mean? (calm, sleep, focus) 3:30 – Is this like alcohol or cannabis—or something different? 6:00 – What does the device look like and how is it worn? 8:00 – How long do you need to use it and what's the protocol? 9:30 – Why avoid sensation in neuromodulation devices? 11:00 – Clinic rollout and early user feedback 12:15 – Why launch as a wellness device instead of FDA first? 14:15 – Future plans: non-invasive deep brain stimulation 18:15 – Origin story: from pediatric pain treatment to neurotech platform 21:30 – Why other vagus nerve stimulators didn't work as well 24:00 – Scaling the company and future applications

In this episode of the Neural Implant Podcast, host Dr. Ladan Jiracek speaks with Dr. Christian Iorio-Morin, functional neurosurgeon and professor at the Université de Sherbrooke, about the evolving landscape of neurosurgery—from treating movement disorders and chronic pain to pushing the boundaries of paralysis recovery. Christian shares insights from his clinical work using gamma knife surgery, neuromodulation, and microvascular techniques, as well as his leadership on the RE-MOVE project, a large-scale initiative aiming to restore movement by reconnecting the brain and spinal cord through implantable technology. The conversation explores how modern neurosurgery is shifting from treating symptoms to rebuilding lost function, why many "paralyzed" systems still retain underlying capability, and how combining neuroscience, engineering, and patient-centered design could unlock a new generation of therapies for stroke, spinal cord injury, and beyond. Top 3 Takeaways: Most "brain stimulation" treatments actually work by shutting circuits down, not activating them. Despite the name, therapies like deep brain stimulation, gamma knife, and ablation all achieve similar results by disrupting pathological neural circuits—essentially "jamming" the signal rather than enhancing it. Innovation in neurotech is bottlenecked by lack of access to device software and hardware. Researchers often can't test new ideas because commercial devices are locked down—forcing unnecessary duplication of effort and slowing progress across the field. "Neuro hype" is a real problem—and unrealistic expectations can harm patients. Many patients overestimate what neurotechnology can do today. Setting honest expectations is critical, as current treatments improve function but rarely fully restore it. 0:55 – Do you want to introduce yourself better than I just did? 2:40 – What is Gamma Knife and how does it work? 5:20 – How does Gamma Knife compare to deep brain stimulation? 10:45 – Why do patients choose lesions over implants? 15:05 – When is neuromodulation preferred over lesion-based treatments? 20:30 – What are neural engineers getting wrong today? 21:00 – Why is it so hard to test new ideas in neuromodulation? 28:50 – Should neurostimulators be more open and accessible? 33:20 – How competition is driving innovation in neurotech 35:00 – The problem of "neuro hype" and unrealistic expectations

In this episode of the Neural Implant Podcast, host Dr. Ladan Jiracek sits down with Omari Bouknight, CEO of Resonant Link Medical, to explore how advances in wireless power transfer are reshaping the future of implantable medical devices. Omari shares how traditional power limitations have historically constrained device design—and how Resonant Link Medical's technology is turning power into an enabler, allowing for smaller, smarter, and longer-lasting implants. The conversation dives into real-world applications across neurotech and beyond, including how faster, more efficient wireless charging could unlock advanced closed-loop therapies, high-data-rate neural systems, and more fully implantable devices Top 3 Takeaways: Resonant Link Medical's key breakthrough is highly efficient and flexible wireless power: their multi-layer self-resonant structure (MSRS) coil technology enables high-efficiency wireless energy transfer with minimal heat generation, and innovations in power electronics and data transfer support highly adaptive systems with high tolerance to misalignment. This solves two major historical barriers to implantable wireless charging, allowing patients to quickly and easily recharge devices during normal daily activity. Wireless power works deeper in the body and tolerates real-world movement: Resonant Link Medical's system can deliver power at depths up to ~6 cm (and potentially more) while allowing several centimeters of lateral misalignment and angular tilt. This enables reliable charging even with normal body motion and imperfect alignment at up to 15 W of power. Wireless power is becoming a foundational enabler across implantable devices, ranging from brain-computer-interfaces (BCIs) and spinal cord stimulators to peripheral nerve, sleep apnea, and even cardiac and orthopedic implants. Resonant Link Medical's platform technology is helping unlock closed-loop therapies, new targets, and smarter devices—and the field of active implantables is still only at the very beginning of its potential. 0:45 Do you want to introduce yourself better than I just did? 1:30 Tell us a bit more about the technology 5:00 What does the form factor look like? 7:15 What are the misalignment tolerances? 9:15 Are you guys device agnostic and just want to power people's neurotech devices? 10:15 What are the dimensions? 12:45 What are some of the areas you guys have worked in? 18:00 What's the history of the company? 21:30 What's in store in the future for these devices?  

In this episode of the Neural Implant Podcast, host Dr. Ladan Jiracek sits down with Francesco Petrini, co-founder and CEO of SensArs, to discuss how intraneural stimulation could help restore sensation in patients with diabetic neuropathy. Francesco explains how loss of feeling in the feet can lead to unnoticed injuries, chronic wounds, and even amputations - and why rebuilding sensory feedback could dramatically improve quality of life. The conversation explores SensArs' approach to neuromodulation and what it takes to translate sensory neuroprosthetics into real-world clinical impact. Top 3 Takeaways: In diabetic neuropathy, the biggest danger is invisible damage: when patients lose sensation in their feet, they may not notice external threats like hot sand or a pebble in their shoe, and they also lose the natural sensory feedback that helps regulate balanced walking - leading to abnormal pressure, skin breakdown, ulcers, and ultimately a higher risk of amputation. Diabetic neuropathy is one of the most expensive health burdens in the US: its complications cost the healthcare system roughly $80 billion per year, making it comparable to cancer and among the top drivers of medical spending - yet sensory restoration still isn't available, highlighting the urgent need for better solutions. Restored sensation can translate into real functional gains: in prior studies with amputees, SensArs showed that patients not only felt sensory feedback, but actually used it - walking ~30% faster (including on uneven ground and stairs), reducing falls by ~80%, and even eliminating nerve-related pain. With those results in hand, most of the upgraded system is clinic-ready, with the stimulator being the main remaining component needing additional testing. 1:00 Do you want to introduce yourself better than I just did? 5:00 So the ulcer occurs as a result of walking incorrectly? 6:45 What caused you to go after this indication? 10:30 Sponsorship by blackswan-ip  11:00 Can you describe you technology and what is involved in this implantation and product? 14:00 Are the shoes more attractive than current shoes? And could this be done via just an app? 16:45 What's the advantage of having the implant as well as the electronic insole? 18:30 And the notification needs to be timely, damage can happen within a few minutes? 20:00 What stage are you and your company at? 22:15 How did you go from being a successful researcher to going into entrepreneurship? 23:45 What was the timeline of your progress? 26:15 Is this intraneural stimulation something that would be useful for other indications as well? 27:45 Does diabetic neuropathy mean that the nerve you implant into eventually will die as well? 28:45 Is there anything that we didn't talk about that you wanted to mention?

In this episode of the Neural Implant Podcast, host Dr. Ladan Jiracek sits down with Dr. Ignacio Sáez, neuroscientist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, whose lab uses intracranial brain recordings to study the biology of human cognition. Ignacio shares how cutting-edge neurotechnology like iEEG can reveal the neural dynamics behind decision-making, risk, memory, and brain states - and how those insights could unlock more targeted neuromodulation therapies for psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety.  Top 3 Takeaways:  Epilepsy patients undergoing seizure monitoring often have 100-200 electrodes implanted in their brains and may spend days in the hospital waiting for a seizure. Ignacio's lab uses this rare window to record high-quality human neural activity while patients complete cognitive tasks and computer-based games - giving researchers an unparalleled way to study human brain function in real time. Working with Precision Neuroscience has been transformative because their Layer 7 device offers a completely different view of brain activity than traditional epilepsy electrodes. Instead of ~200 electrodes spread across multiple brain regions, Precision's flexible micro-ECoG array packs 1024 non-penetrating electrodes into about 1 cm², enabling ultra-high-density recordings from a single, discrete cortical area without damaging tissue - helping researchers zoom in on local circuits and uncover new insights into brain function and treatment pathways. One major advantage of doing cognitive neuroscience in humans is that researchers can directly ask subjects what they were thinking, feeling, or paying attention to during a task - giving "ground truth" insight that animal studies can only infer indirectly from behavior. 1:00 Do you want to introduce yourself better than I just did? 9:30 How did you make that transition from animal work to human work? 15:15 Sponsorship by blackswan-ip  16:15 Do you see a difference between devices with many electrodes vs those with fewer? 18:45 What's it like working with Precision Neuroscience and how do their higher channel counts help? 24:00 What is your workflow and what is the source of your funding? Usually from companies? 26:45 How many trials can you do at once? 29:15 What are some challenges in this work? 31:15 How many other people are doing this kind of research? 34:15 What changes to new designs or devices do you foresee as a result of this work? 41:45 Is there anything that we didn't talk about that you wanted to mention?

In this solo episode of the Neural Implant Podcast, host Dr. Ladan Jiracek shares the story behind finally completing his PhD at the University of Florida - from the highs of passing his dissertation defense to the long, frustrating, and deeply technical journey of developing liquid crystal polymer (LCP)-based neural implants. I break down why LCP is so promising for long-term implantable devices, how delamination and bonding challenges became the core focus of his dissertation, and what it took to fabricate ultra-thin polymer electrodes approaching "biological invisibility." I also reflects on the unpredictable nature of the PhD timeline, how the podcast helped shape his network, and what's next as he continues in the lab as a postdoc while building IntimaStim, my startup focused on restoring sexual function after spinal cord injury.

In this episode, Paul Goode (Glucotrack) dives into the next wave of continuous glucose monitoring: an active, fully implantable CGM designed to deliver long-term, pacemaker-style reliability without external wearables. We discuss first-in-human progress, why implantables may change diabetes care at home, and a fascinating neural angle—how similar chemistry and form factors could be adapted to epidural glucose sensing and even paired with neural recording electrodes to capture metabolic and neural data together. If you care about closed-loop systems, chronic implants, or bridging bioelectrochemistry with neurotech, this one's for you.   Top 3 Takeaways: Epidural glucose sensing works long-term: Initial short animal tests showed continuous glucose measurement in the epidural space, and a follow-up multi-month study delivered phenomenal, stable results. Epidural placement matches CGM performance: The sensor sits on top of the dura mater in the epidural space (effectively an interstitial environment) and, in studies run alongside a conventional subcutaneous CGM, showed comparable timing and responsiveness. Since the brain runs on glucose, this is surprising but logical.  Seamless SCS integration is feasible: The epidural glucose sensor uses a simple potentiostat and three-electrode setup, adding minimal electronics to existing spinal cord stimulator platforms. The team aims to generate first-in-human data to catalyze partnerships with SCS companies. 1:15 Do you want to introduce yourself better than I just did? 2:15 Why was a glucose sensor company invited to come on the Neural Implant Podcast? 7:15 How many electrodes on a device would need to be used in order to measure glucose in the epidural space? 8:45 How do your glucose measurements compare with Continuous Glucose Monitors? 12:30 What's the company's next step? 16:00 Is there anything you would want of the Neural Implant community?  

In this episode of the Neural Implant Podcast, I speak with Fabio Boi, Co-Founder and CSO of Corticale, an Italian neurotech company that is redefining the landscape of brain-computer interfaces. Corticale is pioneering a new generation of minimally invasive, CMOS-based neural implants that can record from thousands of neurons simultaneously—introducing their flagship technology, SiNAPS. Fabio walks us through how SiNAPS achieves single-cell resolution recordings via its 1024-electrode array, enabling high-fidelity access to both action potentials and local field potentials deep within cortical tissue. We also explore the significance of modular probe design, ultra high-density sensors, and the potential clinical and research applications of such a breakthrough platform. This episode is sponsored by Black Swan IP – patent strategy and legal support for neurotech innovators. Learn more at www.blackswan-ip.com/ Top 3 Takeaways: Corticale's SiNAPS probes miniaturize electronics directly beneath each electrode, enabling every channel to independently record signals. Unlike traditional systems that require pre-selection or external r eadout bottlenecks, this design supports simultaneous, high-resolution recording across the entire array. Moving from hundreds to thousands of recording channels exposes neural complexity that was previously missed. For brain-computer interfaces, this data richness significantly improves decoding accuracy and performance. Startups should prioritize building the right team even before finalizing the technology. As Fabio reflects, having a team with the right expertise early on can help avoid costly mistakes, save time, and steer the company in the right direction—something he wishes he had done from the beginning. 0:45 Do you want to introduce yourself better than I just did? 3:00 What are some of the features of your technology? 5:30 What kind of cutting edge fabrication are you using? 6:30 What application do you see this being useful for? 10:15 Sponsorship by blackswan-ip  10:45 So who are you main customers now? 12:45 What are the upper limits of this technology? 16:00 So you guys are working only on the hardware side of things? 16:45 What kind of data processing do you need for this? 18:45 What do the next 5 years look like for you? 20:15 What kind of patient population would you be targeting? 21:00 What is it like to be based in Italy? 24:00 Is there anything that we didn't talk about that you wanted to mention?  

In this episode of the Neural Implant Podcast, we sit down with Ben Woodington, co-founder of Coherence Bio, a groundbreaking medical technology company pioneering a new frontier in cancer treatment. By integrating neurotechnology, neurobiology, and machine learning, Coherence is building a platform that doesn't just fight cancer—it manages it in real time. Ben shares how Coherence is moving beyond the traditional "cut, burn, poison" model of oncology, and instead focusing on precision neuromodulation to monitor and control cancer progression—offering hope for 24/7 adaptive treatment with fewer side effects and better quality of life. Their platform, SOMA, is the first in a suite of technologies aimed at achieving this ambitious goal. We also explore the emerging field of cancer neuroscience, the role of BCIs and digital neural interfaces in oncology, and how Coherence's research is predicting brain metastasis, decoding neural signatures of gliomas, and applying electrotherapy to fight tumors. This episode is sponsored by Black Swan IP – patent strategy and legal support for neurotech innovators. Learn more at www.blackswan-ip.com/ Top 3 Takeaways: Coherence is targeting glioblastoma as its first application due to its urgent unmet clinical need—patients face a median survival of just 14 months, and the standard of care hasn't evolved in over two decades. Despite the broader applicability of their technology across brain cancers, focusing on this aggressive, treatment-resistant form gives them a high-impact entry point to demonstrate the value of real-time, adaptive neuromodulation. Coherence is exploring two groundbreaking mechanisms for treating brain cancer: directly stimulating cancer cells to inhibit division, and disrupting the neural-cancer feedback loop that drives tumor growth. Inspired by work from Stanford's Michelle Monje lab, they aim to block the synaptic connections between neurons and tumor cells—cutting off the electrical signals and neurotrophic support that fuel cancer proliferation. Implants will be placed during patients' scheduled tumor resection surgeries, minimizing additional intervention. Rather than performing separate procedures, the team collaborates with surgeons during planned tumor debulking to implant devices, enabling safety and neural recording studies without altering standard care pathways. 0:45 Do you want to introduce yourself better than I just did? 2:00 Is that what OptoBio was doing as well? 3:15 What is the mechanism of action for curing cancer? 6:00 How are you treating the cancer? 8:15 Is this a localized treatment around the implanted area only? 17:15 Sponsorship by blackswan-ip  11:15 How are you measuring the signal of the cancer? 12:00 What level of development are you guys at? 14:00 How are clinical trials approval different for terminal patients? 15:45 How do you deal with the sense of urgency to get this technology out? 18:30 What would you want to see in the Neural Implant Community? 23:15 Is there anything we didn't talk about that you wanted to mention?

In this episode, we dive into the world of European intellectual property and medtech innovation with Dr. Christian Wende, a German and European Patent Attorney specializing in medical technology at DTS. With a background in mechanical engineering, a Ph.D. in liver dialysis research, and a Master of Laws in European IP law, Christian brings a rare and powerful combination of technical, legal, and clinical insight. We explore how startups and investors should think about IP strategy in Europe, the impact of the new Unified Patent Court (UPC), the nuances between U.S. and EU patent landscapes, and how IP due diligence is handled during VC rounds and M&A activity. Whether you're a founder, investor, or innovator in medtech or neurotech, this episode is packed with actionable insights. This episode is sponsored by Black Swan IP – patent strategy and legal support for neurotech innovators. Learn more at www.blackswan-ip.com/ Top 3 Takeaways: When looking for a good IP lawyer, don't try to search blindly—ask founders who've successfully done it before. You'll often hear the same trusted names. And even if those lawyers are conflicted, they'll usually refer you to a trusted colleague. The IP community is small and highly referral-driven. Becoming a qualified German and European patent attorney is a long and rigorous journey—often taking over 14 years. It includes a PhD, a three-year legal apprenticeship, two bar exams (German and European), and additional certification for the Unified Patent Court. Only about 25% of German candidates pass the European exam on their first try. Investors expect transparency and a plan—especially when IP litigation risk is involved. Hiding potential legal issues is a red flag that can derail multimillion-dollar investments, particularly in later-stage rounds. For high-stakes backers, surprise IP battles are deal-breakers, not details. 1:30 What is a patent and how is it different in Europe vs the US? 3:30 How far in advance should you be thinking about European patents? 8:15 How did you get into patent law? 10:00 What kind of education is necessary for this? 14:30 What was your role in the Sapiens DBS IP portfolio? 17:15 Sponsorship by blackswan-ip  17:45 What are common issues especially in Merger and Acquisition deals? 27:15 What is one of the biggest mistakes you see neurotech companies do? 30:00 How do you recognize good legal counsel? 32:30 How do your Japanese roots fit into everything? 36:00 Are you knowledgable about the Asian side of medtech? 38:00 Is there anything that we didn't talk about that you wanted to mention?