UCLA Neurologist and Innovator of Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation Joins NeuroSigma

LOS ANGELES, April 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- NeuroSigma, Inc., a Los Angeles-based medical device company, today announced its appointment of Christopher M. DeGiorgio, M.D., as Vice-President, Neurology. In this new role Dr. DeGiorgio, who was previously a Senior Medical Advisor to the Company, will lead NeuroSigma's development of Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation (TNS) for the treatment of neurological indications.  

"I am very excited to join NeuroSigma to help move TNS therapy forward as a treatment option for neurological disorders, such as drug-resistant epilepsy, which is estimated to affect over 10 million people worldwide," said Dr. DeGiorgio.

NeuroSigma has completed development of its external TNS (eTNS™) system and is developing its implantable subcutaneous TNS (sTNS™) system.  Near term milestones include filing a CE Mark application in mid-2012 for approval to commence marketing the eTNS system for the treatment of epilepsy in Europe. NeuroSigma is also planning to file, in the second-half of 2012, an IDE with the FDA for a multi-center epilepsy Phase III pivotal trial in the United States.

"We are very fortunate to have Dr. DeGiorgio, who had the vision of conceiving TNS as a therapy for epilepsy, join NeuroSigma as a member of our management team.  His appointment represents an important step forward for our company as we move closer to bringing our promising TNS therapies to market," said Lodwrick Cook, Chairman of NeuroSigma. "We are delighted that we will be working closely with Dr. DeGiorgio during this extremely important phase in the regulatory approval process and in planning for post-approval strategy in Europe, US and other key regions in the world," added Leon Ekchian, Ph.D., President and CEO of NeuroSigma.

Dr. DeGiorgio has taken a partial leave of absence as a Professor of Neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA where he previously served as Executive Vice-Chairman in the Department of Neurology. A distinguished physician scientist, Dr. DeGiorgio has also been recognized as one of the Best Doctors in America, and is the recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award while at UCLA.  He was first to study TNS in patients with epilepsy, and collaborated with Ian Cook, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA, in developing TNS as a potential treatment for depression, PTSD and ADHD. Among his notable research work, Dr. DeGiorgio has served as Principal Investigator of several interventional clinical trials for drug resistant epilepsy, including Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) for epilepsy and n-3 fatty acids to reduce seizures and the risk of sudden death in epilepsy (SUDEP). Dr. DeGiorgio has also published multiple peer-reviewed research papers in the field of epilepsy, and is the Principal Investigator of a National Institute of Health (NIH) grant recently awarded to NeuroSigma to further develop eTNS for Epilepsy.

About NeuroSigma, Inc.
NeuroSigma is a Los Angeles-based medical technology company established to develop early stage technologies with the potential to transform medical practice. Currently, NeuroSigma is focused on a number of neuromodulation therapies and through our majority-owned subsidiary, NSVascular, on Thin-Film Nitinol covered stents for endovascular applications. NeuroSigma employs two neuromodulation therapy platforms: Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation (TNS) and Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS).  NeuroSigma has amassed significant intellectual property that is based on technology licensed on an exclusive basis from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), including potential therapies for epilepsy, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) via TNS and for PTSD, obesity and cachexia via DBS. For more information about NeuroSigma, please visit our website at http://www.neurosigma.com.

CAUTION: The eTNS™ and sTNS™ systems are investigational devices and are limited by Federal (or United States) law to investigational use.

NeuroSigma Contacts:

Dr. Leon Ekchian, President & CEO
Tel: 310-479-3100
Email: [email protected]
NeuroSigma, Inc.
Website: http://www.neurosigma.com

Mr. Mark Collinson, Partner
Tel: +1-310-954-1343
Email: [email protected]
CCG Investor Relations
Website: http://www.ccgir.com

SOURCE NeuroSigma, Inc.