This article is part of a series looking at all the competitors of UT Dallas’ 2020 Big Idea Pitch Competition.
Is it possible to rewire the brain almost instantly to help it learn a behavior? The answer is being proven by the technology of UT Dallas professor Robert Rennaker.
Using an implantable device, Rennaker’s newest venture X-Nerve, which launched at the beginning of the year, is treating patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea. And the technology behind it already has backing from the National Institutes of Health and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
Rennaker's background in the both the military and in biomedical engineering has led him to develop a technology at UTD that stimulates the vagus nerve. That’s the nerve in that controls unconscious actions and can rapidly rewire brain functions. By implanting a small device to stimulate the nerve, the technology has already been effective at treating patients with issues ranging from tinnitus to strokes.
With X-Nerve, Rennaker is looking to secure more funding, in the hopes of beginning clinical trials within the year and landing FDA approval by 2025.
What inspired you to start your business?
Rennaker: To help those suffering from obstructive sleep apnea regain a high quality of life and avoid the negative health consequences of not treating obstructive sleep apnea.
What is one of the biggest challenges you have faced so far? How did you overcome it?
Our biggest challenge is finding funding.
How has COVID-19 affected your business and industry?
It has slowed the performance of clinical trials.
Personally, what impact do you hope to have through the work that you do?
My focus is improving the quality of life for obstructive sleep apnea sufferers.
This interview was edited for grammar.
