Getting groundbreaking medical technology out of the lab

New medical technologies hold immense promise for treating a range of conditions. Despite the pace of innovation in the medtech field, however, most discoveries never make it out of the laboratory. New research from EPFL could fast-track the route to clinical translation. Advances in materials, microfabrication and medical imaging are accelerating the pace of innovation in implantable neuroprosthetics. These soft, biocompatible devices, which rely on the electrical stimulation of the nervous system, have shown enormous potential in improving quality of life for patients with a range of conditions such as paralysis and deafness. Despite their promise, most of these groundbreaking discoveries never make it out of the lab. Few discoveries make it to market Researchers tend to underestimate the amount of engineering and development work needed to get a discovery out of the lab and into clinical use.