A $5 million Innovation Challenge Fund (ICF), to encourage and support academic groups and small companies in collaborative efforts in the development of bioelectronic medicines, has been announced by GSK. This funding programme is in addition to the company’s prior commitment of a $1 million award (December 2013), for the team that first solves the GSK Bioelectronics Challenge.
Bioelectronic medicine is focused on producing miniaturised, implantable devices that could be programmed to read and correct electrical signals passing along the nerves of the body, to treat disorders as diverse as inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis, asthma, hypertension and diabetes. The ICF funded work and the Innovation Challenge’s winning entry will be made freely available to the global research community.