Wicab to present BrainPort at Boston conference

Madison, Wis.-based Wicab, Inc.'s new BrainPort technology will be discussed at a Monday, Oct. 10 medical technology conference in Boston.

Robert Beckman, president and chief executive officer at Wicab, will describe the company's new BrainPort technology and provide an overview of the business plan and the planned launch -- subject to regulatory approval -- of the BrainPort balance device in the United States and Europe in 2006.

His presentation will be made at MedTech Insight's "Investment In Innovation (In3) BOSTON: A Preview of Early-Stage Medical Technology Companies" conference

Wicab is an early stage medical device company focused on the research, development and commercialization of the BrainPort balance device, a non-invasive device that is intended for use by patients with balance disorders either in the clinic or at home.

Wicab estimates the U.S. market for the BrainPort balance device will exceed $1 billion, targeting primarily balance patients who do not derive adequate benefit from conventional rehabilitation. The company foresees the market opportunity outside of the United States to be equivalent in size to the U.S. market. Wicab plans to launch a clinical trial in patients with bilateral vestibular loss in the fourth quarter of 2005 at four investigational sites: Mayo Clinics in Rochester, Minn. and Jacksonville, Fla.; Washington University in St. Louis; and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The company plans to launch the BrainPort balance device in the United States in mid-2006, subject to regulatory approval. Wicab is also planning a second clinical trial in 2006 in a broader patient population with balance disorders.