Clark-MXR receives SBIR for cochlear implant electrode arrays

Dexter, Mich. – Clark-MXR Inc. has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract from the National Institute of Health to further develop the tools, facilities and protocols needed to produce multi-electrode arrays using known biocompatible materials.

Building on its successful Phase I program, the company will use its unique, direct-write micromachining technology to produce a robust, high quality, reliable cochlear implant electrode array that is functionally similar to those in clinical use today. Clark-MXR anticipates that this new technology will eliminate failures caused by embrittlement as well as enable higher functionality at lower cost.

“We anticipate that this program will improve health for the deaf community. You need only search for ‘cochlear implant baby’ on YouTube to understand why we feel this endeavor is an important application of our manufacturing technology, especially for children in their formative years," said Dr. William Clark, president and CEO of Clark-MXR.

In furtherance of NIH's mission to reduce the burdens of illness and disability, this program will result in a substantial improvement in quality, performance, and size of cochlear implants, and in so doing, it will lay the foundation for production of a broad spectrum of neural implants serving a wide range of medical needs.

Clark-MXR provides innovative ultrashort pulse laser-based solutions for scientific, industrial, and medical applications. Its products and services include ultrashort pulse laser sources, contract manufacturing, and complete, integrated ultrafast micromachining tools and spectroscopy instrumentation.

For more information, e-mail: [email protected].