CorTec

CorTec is a medical device company located in Freiburg, Germany that develops implantable neurotechnology solutions. Their flagship product is the Brain Interchange System - a fully implantable closed-loop brain-computer interface capable of recording neural signals from and providing electrical stimulation to the brain through 32 electrode channels.

The Brain Interchange System is designed to enable development of novel therapies for various neurological conditions like epilepsy, chronic pain, movement disorders and psychiatric disorders by allowing continuous measurement of brain activity and delivery of adaptive electrical stimulation based on that data. The device wirelessly transmits the recorded neural data to an external computing system which runs algorithms to detect the patient's therapeutic requirements. It then sends instructions back to the implant to provide targeted stimulation tailored to the individual's needs on a cycle as fast as 0.02 seconds.

This closed-loop functionality gives the ability to develop highly personalized and precise brain therapies that can dynamically respond to the patient's changing condition in real-time. A key focus area is stroke rehabilitation, where CorTec aims to leverage the Brain Interchange System to restore lost motor functions by inducing neuroplasticity through cortical stimulation synchronized with the patient's brain rhythms.

CorTec also manufactures soft and flexible grid, strip and cuff electrodes using proprietary AirRay technology for interfacing with the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves. These components are provided to research institutes and medical device companies globally for supporting their studies and product development.

In May 2024, CorTec received FDA approval for an early feasibility clinical study evaluating the stroke rehabilitation application of the Brain Interchange System at the University of Washington and UCLA. The trial is funded by the NIH and European grants.

Key customers and partnerships

CorTec's Brain Interchange technology is currently being utilized by around 70 leading neuroscience research institutes worldwide for therapy discovery across mental, mood and motor disorder domains. The company also has 15 industry partners they are developing components and full systems for.