GSK has launched a $1 million (£600,000) prize
for innovation in the field of bioelectronics.
The prize will be given to researchers that create a miniaturised, fully
implantable device that can read, write and block the body's electrical signals
to treat disease.
The challenge was developed after consultation
with 150 scientists around the world, brought together by GSK's Bioelectronics
R&D unit, which the company established in 2012. The unit aims to develop a
new class of devices that can treat conditions using electrical impulses. We
already have crude bioelectronic devices such as pacemakers, but more granular
understanding and manipulation of neural pathways offer richer opportunities.
These devices may be able to treat disorders such as bowel disease, arthritis,
asthma, hypertension and diabetes. You can read Wired.co.uk's in-depth
feature into these "electroceuticals" here.
The prize announcement follows the creation in August of a $50m
(£32m) strategic venture capital fund called Action Potential Venture
Capital that invests in companies developing bioelectronic medicines and
technologies.A committee is now working on the parameters by which the challenge will be met. These will be published online on 1 February
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