Dexter, Mich — Clark-MXR Inc has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to further develop the tools, facilities, and protocols needed to produce a new cochlear implant multi-electrode array that uses known biocompatible materials.
The company has already completed a successful Phase I program and says that it will now use its proprietary direct-write micromachining technology to produce a multi-electrode array that is functionally similar to those in clinical use today.
Clark-MXR added in the press statement that it anticipates that the new technology will eliminate failures caused by embrittlement. as well as enable higher functionality at lower cost.
William Clark, PhD, president and CEO of Clark-MXR, said, “We anticipate that this program will improve health for the deaf community. You need only search for ‘cochlear implant baby’ on youtube.com to understand why we feel this endeavor is an important application of our manufacturing technology, especially for children in their formative years.”
SOURCE: Clark-MXR
