HomeStroke: Vascular and Interventional NeurologyVol. 3, No. 2SVINnovation Challenge: Fostering Innovation in Vascular and Interventional Neurology Open AccessEditorialPDF/EPUBAboutView PDFView EPUBSections ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload citationsTrack citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InMendeleyReddit Jump toOpen AccessEditorialPDF/EPUBSVINnovation Challenge: Fostering Innovation in Vascular and Interventional Neurology Nirav R. Bhatt, MD, Ashutosh P. Jadhav, MD, PhD and Sunil A. Sheth, MD Nirav R. BhattNirav R. Bhatt , Department of Neurology, , , University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, , UPMC Stroke Institute, , Pittsburgh, , PA, Search for more papers by this author , Ashutosh P. JadhavAshutosh P. Jadhav , Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, , Barrow Neurological Institute, , Phoenix, , AZ, Search for more papers by this author and Sunil A. ShethSunil A. Sheth *Correspondence to: Sunil A. Sheth, MD, Department of Neurology, UTHealth McGovern Medical School, MSB7.220 6431 Fannin St, Houston TX 77005. E‐mail: E-mail Address: [email protected] https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0602-8509 , Department of Neurology, , UTHealth McGovern Medical School, , Houston, , TX, Search for more papers by this author Originally published27 Feb 2023https://doi.org/10.1161/SVIN.123.000808Stroke: Vascular and Interventional Neurology. 2023;3:e000808Other version(s) of this articleYou are viewing the most recent version of this article. Previous versions: February 27, 2023: Ahead of Print The past few decades have witnessed tremendous growth in vascular and interventional neurology. Endovascular reperfusion for acute ischemic stroke has become one of the most effective treatments in all of medicine. Embolization for cerebral aneurysms has become faster, safer, and more universal. Novel treatments for subdural hematoma and intracranial hypertension seem to be just around the corner, and the list goes on. At the heart of many of these advances have been happy accidents or the result of out‐of‐the‐box thinking; ideas that started small but through dedication of their innovators ultimately changed clinical practice. In recognition of this spirit of invention within the field, the Society for Vascular and Interventional Neurology (SVIN) organized an inaugural SVINnovation Challenge as a part of its annual meeting in Los Angeles (November 2022). A diverse panel of experts was assembled, applications solicited from its membership as well as the general public, and a $10 000 prize was offered. The response from the community was far greater than expected for this first‐of‐its‐kind offering, and in this column, we reflect on some of the takeaways from this experience.The Role of Physician Societies in Fostering InnovationOne of the questions we grappled with while considering this event was whether physician and specialty societies should play a role in organizing pitch competitions. On the one hand, hosting such an event may interfere with relationships with industry partners for the society as well as the participants; device development is traditionally performed within industry and protected by nondisclosure agreements when discussed with physicians. In addition, would promotion of concepts intended for commercialization stain the academic integrity of the scientific content presented in the rest of the meeting? However, in neurointervention, physician/industry partnerships have always been a vital and required element for advancement. The advancements of the last few decades would not have been possible without this interaction. And as we discovered by going through the process of screening applications, the appetite for innovation among physicians and engineers in this space is tremendous. Harnessing this energy to catalyze new directions in device development and support new faces and talent in the field was reason enough, in our minds, to add a new element to the SVIN annual meeting.Innovation in Neurointervention is EverywhereThe field is fertile indeed. The initial plan for the event was to invite a total of 4 teams to pitch their ideas to a panel of experts, selected through an application, which included the questions listed in Table 1. However, the number and quality of applications we received were far beyond our expectations. Over 20 teams submitted their ideas, and we widened the competition to 6 presentations. In doing so, we also chose to highlight the range of backgrounds of the teams that applied, from inspired neurology resident to international small business owner.Table 1. Application and Guidance for the Pitch Deck Given to Presenters1. Identify the problem you are addressing.2. What is your solution? Why is yours the best approach?3. Estimate the market and market penetration.4. Briefly summarize your development and commercialization plan.John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Two presentations were from current trainees. Dr Mohamed Doheim, MD is a research fellow at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and proposed a software‐based solution to use real‐world data to identify patients with large vessel occlusion acute ischemic stroke that fall outside guideline definitions but may still benefit from endovascular thrombectomy. Dr Neeharika Krothapalli, DO is a neurology resident at the University of Connecticut/Hartford Hospital, and she sought to address medication nonadherence. Her solution was to develop a customized digital application, linking a sensor‐based prescription bottle to a cloud database. The third practicing neurologist to present was Dr Radoslav Raychev, MD (assistant clinical professor of neurology, University of California Los Angeles). Dr Raychev presented FAST.AI, an automated smartphone application for identification of acute stroke signs using machine learning algorithms for detection of facial asymmetry, arm weakness, and speech changes. The goal of this technology is to provide clinical decision support, particularly in the prehospital phase, for diagnosis and acceleration of treatment for acute stroke.Two small businesses also applied and participated in the challenge. Dr. Kirt Gill, MD is the chief executive officer and co‐founder of NeuraStasis and presented his company's solution to slow infarct progression and preserve penumbra in patients with acute ischemic stroke through transcutaneous stimulation of the trigeminal and vagus nerves. NeuraStasis's disposable device is composed of an easy‐to‐deploy electrode and a handheld pulse generator that can be used in prehospital settings and travel with patients during interhospital transfers. In addition, Dr Tomas Baltrunas, MD presented on behalf of his company, Sentante, and showcased their teleoperated robot system that allows for remote neurointerventions advancing access to mechanical thrombectomy for remote regions or hospitals that do not have consistent, round‐the‐clock staffing. Furthermore, by minimizing the need of medical personnel to be present in the cath‐lab during the entire interventinal procedure, Sentante would prevent the harmful effects of exposure to X‐ray radiation and long‐term complications of using heavy lead aprons among medical providers.Ultimately, it was a Massachusetts Institute of Technology engineer who took home the cash prize and title of inaugural SVINnovation Challenge winner. Dr Yoonho Kim demonstrated his magnetically controlled soft‐robotic guidewire and teleoperated manipulation platform. This innovation providing an omnidirectional steering based on precise robotic manipulation would help prevent human errors and fatigue and reduce operative time, perioperative risks, and complications leading to improvements in delivery of neurovascular interventions.Judging Innovation in NeurointerventionFrom an inspiring pool of MDs, DOs, and PhDs exploring facets of patient care including acute treatment, neuroprotection, and secondary prevention, choosing a winner was a tough task! The panel of judges, therefore, had to be equally diverse in their range of expertise.Machine learning and automated imaging processing is undoubtedly one of the hottest and fastest moving areas in vascular neurology at present. This field is one of the first to readily incorporate these algorithms into routine clinical decision making, with multiple Food and Drug Administration‐cleared devices already shown to improve patient care. Drs Greg Albers (director of Stanford Stroke Center, Coyote Foundation Professor at Stanford University) and Italo Linfante (director of interventional neuroradiology and clinical professor at Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University) shared their expertise in this area, as practicing clinicians and researchers who have successfully translated their products to market.Another area that has gained tremendous excitement is the field of neuromodulation and brain–computer interfaces. These techniques to record, decode, and/or stimulate central and peripheral nervous system targets are being studied for a massive array of disorders, many of which fall outside the traditional purview of “neurology.” The event was proud to host 2 experts in this burgeoning field, Drs Tom Oxley (chief executive officer of Synchron and neurointerventionist at Mount Sinai Hospital, NY) and Jacob Robinson (chief executive officer of Motif Neurotech and associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, Rice University).Of course, ideas are a dime a dozen and without the financial and operational expertise to cross the finish line, none of these concepts would make their way into patient care. Bridging this valley of death is one of the biggest challenges for academic institutions and federal funding agencies. To provide the practical viewpoints on regulatory and business development challenges, Signe Haughton (senior director of medical and government affairs, and chief of staff at Medtronic Neurovascular) and Dave Ferrera (chief executive officer of RC Medical LLC.) rounded out the panel of experts. These questions were some of the most poignant, as shown in Table 2.Table 2. Most Frequent Questions from the PanelistsWhat is the status of your intellectual property portfolio?What are your current sources of funding? How (and how much) do you plan to raise in the future?What do regulatory pathways to market look like? What will be the cost of completing the required studies?How does the device compare relative to the rest of the competition?John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Reflecting on the event, the vibrant culture of innovation is undeniable. Perhaps because the field is relatively young, there is a real sense of possibility and potential for substantive improvement in patient outcomes permeating vascular and interventional neurology. As organizers, we sincerely thank the panelists, industry supporters, and all the participants of the inaugural SVINnovation competition. Hope to see you at SVINnovation 2023!Conflicts of InterestSunil A. Sheth reports cofounder interests in Motif Neurosciences.AcknowledgmentsDr. Sheth is supported by the NIH (5R01NS121154)Footnotes*Correspondence to: Sunil A. Sheth, MD, Department of Neurology, UTHealth McGovern Medical School, MSB7.220 6431 Fannin St, Houston TX 77005. E‐mail: [email protected]harvard.eduThe opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those of the American Heart Association or the Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology.This manuscript was sent to Dr. Andrei V. Alexandrov, Guest Editor, for review by expert referees, editorial decision, and final disposition. Previous Back to top Next FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails March 2023Vol 3, Issue 2Article InformationMetrics © 2023 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., and the Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology by Wiley Periodicals LLC.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution‐NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.https://doi.org/10.1161/SVIN.123.000808 Manuscript receivedJanuary 19, 2023Manuscript acceptedJanuary 24, 2023Originally publishedFebruary 27, 2023 KeywordsEditorialsentrepreneurshipFDAdeviceinnovationPDF download