Boston Scientific’s Vincent SOURDAINE shares lessons on neurotech commercialisation at the final Cambridge NeuroWorks and PolyU PAIR Joint Seminar of the academic year

On 29 September 2026, Mr Vincent SOURDAINE, Vice President of Neuromodulation for EMEA at Boston Scientific, delivered the presentation “Neuromodulation — Access to Innovation” at the final session of the Cambridge NeuroWorks and PolyU PAIR Joint Seminar, exploring the gap between technological breakthroughs and real-world clinical adoption. 

Co-hosted by Prof. George MALLIARAS, Cambridge NeuroWorks Scientific Lead and Prince Philip Professor of Technology at the University of Cambridge, and Prof. ZHANG Weixiong, Associate Director of the PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR) and Chair Professor of Systems Biology and Artificial Intelligence at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), the online event drew over 15,000 live-stream and Zoom participants from 20 countries and regions, bringing together researchers, industry experts and members of the public.

Opening the event, Prof. Sir John ASTON, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research of the University of Cambridge, emphasised that the seminar provides a platform for sharing ideas and building long-term international partnerships.  He noted that the seminar series had fostered new friendships and collaborations, adding: “Only by collaborating globally can we find the answers to these complex neurological conditions that are blighting billions of lives.”

Echoing this sentiment, Prof. Christopher CHAO, Senior Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU, highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation, stating: “Through platforms such as PolyU PAIR, we bring together expertise across science, medicine and technology to accelerate the translation of research into real-world solutions, while supporting technology transfer, university spin-offs and industry collaboration.”

In his presentation, Mr Sourdaine shared his insights on the evolving landscape of neuromodulation and the formidable challenge of ensuring equitable access to innovation.  Citing Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), a mature, transformative therapy for movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, as a case in point, he observed that despite the technology’s proven efficacy, a significant access gap remains.  Although movement disorders impose a substantial socioeconomic burden and millions of patients worldwide could benefit from DBS, fewer than 10% of eligible candidates receive treatment.

Mr Sourdaine argued that the primary bottleneck is not engineering complexity or device cost, but systemic delivery failures across the care pathway.  Bridging this divide requires four key actions: raising clinical awareness, expanding specialist training, empowering patients, and streamlining referral pathways.  Ultimately, he noted, true innovation is measured not merely by what is invented, but also by how many patients gain access to care.

The seminar continued with a pitching session showcasing translational neurotechnology research from both institutions:

• Mr Jumpei KASHIWAKURA, Co-Founder of Neubond and Fellow of Cambridge NeuroWorks, presented a wearable device designed to continuously monitor vital activity and deliver therapeutic stimulation to aid stroke rehabilitation.
• Ms Caterina AZAIS, Founder and CEO of Aequa Nanotherapeutics Ltd. and Fellow of Cambridge NeuroWorks, demonstrated how her spin-out company uses nanoparticles to enable non-surgical, bidirectional neural interfacing.
• Prof. Georg KRANZ, Associate Professor of Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, PolyU, shared his research on Transcranial Pulse Stimulation (TPS)—a novel, non-invasive technique with emerging clinical evidence for both antidepressant efficacy and target-specific neuromodulation.
• Prof. SUN Lei, Professor of Department of Biomedical Engineering (now the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Sports Technology), PolyU, introduced a closed-loop acoustic brain–computer interface platform capable of real-time neural decoding and targeted modulation. The platform has been validated across primate disease models and human neurosurgery, highlighting its potential as a non-surgical therapeutic approach.

The seminar concluded with an engaging panel discussion chaired by Prof. ZHANG Weixiong.  Panellists explored a range of topics, including the potential application of DBS to other patient groups with movement disorders, the use of meditative practices as positive control interventions in TPS trials, and considerations surrounding the precision and quality of sonogenetics.

The discussion concluded that translating laboratory discoveries into meaningful patient outcomes requires sustained collaboration among clinicians, researchers, patients and industry partners, a core commitment that Cambridge NeuroWorks and PolyU PAIR will continue to champion.

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