Blackrock Microsystems Initiates Two Industry Partnerships that Empower Neuroscience Research
Faster, more complex experiments achievable by combining technology from industry leaders
SALT LAKE CITY (Nov. 5, 2014)—Blackrock Microsystems, the industry leader in neuroscience research equipment, today announced partnerships with two neuroscience research firms — Germany-based PhenoSys and Israel-based NAN Instruments – that will create a truly comprehensive set of tools for neuroscience researchers that facilitate faster and more cost-effective research. Blackrock Microsystems will incorporate specific technologies from PhenoSys and NAN Instruments to offer a fully integrated suite of electrophysiology research products.
“Our partnerships with PhenoSys and NAN instruments will fundamentally change the way neuroscientists work, so that regardless of the experiment the researcher dreams up, we can now empower them to perform it,” said Andy Gotshalk, CEO of Blackrock Microsystems. “Neuroscience research is often encumbered by mix-and-match components and complicated experiment setups. These partnerships will lessen time-consuming, expensive barriers and expedite research results so that we can achieve our ultimate objective of transferring those results into clinical practice for the millions of people facing devastating neurophysiologic challenges.”
Blackrock Microsystems’ miniaturized electrodes and amplifiers, and its robust data acquisition platform empower researchers to perform experiments on nearly unencumbered subjects, thus yielding a clearer look into the brain’s natural architecture.
PhenoSys’ technology allows researchers to construct virtual-reality mazes, where scientists can implement impromptu changes to experiments, leading to significant savings of both time and money. Prior to this technology researchers spent hours constructing physical mazes and other research settings.
“Our virtual-reality technology is already transforming neuroscience research,” said York Winter, PhD, CEO & co-founder of PhenoSys, and professor of cognitive neurobiology at Humboldt University in Berlin. “By teaming up with Blackrock Microsystems, we’ll be able to help even more scientists conduct experiments that were previously thought impossible.”
NAN Instruments designs and manufactures the only electrode positioning system capable of moving individual electrodes fractions of a millimeter in a three-dimensional space. With this technology, neuroscientists can distinguish between neuron groups that were previously inseparable.
“NAN Instruments prides itself on providing flexible and reliable electrode drives,” said Nabeel Abunassar, CEO of NAN Instruments, Ltd. “Our collaboration with Blackrock Microsystems, leverages our combined strengths as leaders in the field of neuroscience research to provide integrated systems for our customers on a global scale.”
About Blackrock Microsystems LLC
Blackrock Microsystems, based in Salt Lake City, was founded in 2008 and has become the world’s leading provider of technology in the neuroscience, neural engineering, and neural prosthetics space. The Company’s technology has been at the core of worldwide innovations in Brain Machine Interface), implantable bionic technologies and epilepsy diagnostics. blackrockneurotech.com
About PhenoSys
PhenoSys is a research and development company based in Berlin, Germany, that engineers and markets cutting-edge technology for automated animal behavior research. The PhenoSys team holds extensive expertise in electrical and mechanical engineering, computer science, and behavioral biology to create experimental systems used for behavioral phenotyping, brain research, experimental psychology and diagnostic characterization of animal models for translational medicine. www.phenosys.com
About NAN Instruments, Ltd.
NAN Instruments is an Israel-based firm that designs and manufactures devices for recording electrical activity from the brain and nervous system. The unique design of the Company’s Electrode Positioning Systems provides users with powerful tools that allow manipulation of each electrode individually in three-dimensional spaces. www.naninstruments.com
Media contact:
Shilo Case
+ 1 801 582-5533, ext. 222
scase@blackrockmicro.com
