Neural Noise- Lunosa is developing a self-expanding, injectable neurostimulator for obstructive sleep apnea, aiming to replace invasive facial surgeries and target a large market.1
- Chad Andresen (CBO) shared first-hand lessons from testifying against Stimwave’s former CEO and from the company’s collapse and litigation.1
- The Neural Implant Podcast (June 2025) discusses regulation and commercial risk in neuromodulation.1 1
Weekly enrichment (2026-07-20)
- In the Neural Implant Podcast episode, guest Chad Andresen, Chief Business Officer of Lunosa, describes a self-expanding, injectable neurostimulator for obstructive sleep apnea intended to replace invasive facial surgeries with a minimally invasive implant, addressing a market Andresen sizes at about $10 billion.2
- Lunosa’s device is a novel “nerve net” implant that works like a fishing net to capture the multiple nerve branches responsible for tongue movement, enabling selective stimulation that activates helpful airway muscles while avoiding unwanted ones.2
- This selective, multi-branch approach contrasts with existing hypoglossal nerve stimulation systems (e.g., Inspire, the only FDA-approved HGNS device as of 2023), which typically use a cuff on a hypoglossal nerve branch, a chest pulse generator, and a respiratory sensor lead.3
- OSA is a large target population: hypoglossal-nerve-stimulation reviews cite prevalence estimates of roughly 9% to 38% of adults, with CPAP as gold standard but plagued by poor long-term compliance, motivating implantable alternatives.4
- Andresen previously worked at Stimwave, a pioneering neuromodulation company, and shares first-hand lessons from testifying against Stimwave’s former CEO and from the company’s collapse and litigation.2
- He flags a startup warning sign: when experienced, well-tempered professionals leave quickly and repeatedly, it often signals deeper leadership or culture problems that young founders overlook until too late.2
- The episode notes region-dependent user feedback during earlier device work: patients in Mexico and Europe reported positive results while U.S. participants were far more critical, surfacing usability issues that had been overlooked.2
- The conversation also covers misalignment of incentives arising from VC funding and commercial/regulatory risk in neuromodulation; the episode is sponsored by Black Swan IP, a neurotech patent-strategy firm.2
Footnotes
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https://neuralimplantpodcast.com/chad-andresen-on-lunosas-injectable-neurostimulator-and-lessons-from-stimwave ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
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https://neuralimplantpodcast.com/chad-andresen-on-lunosas-injectable-neurostimulator-and-lessons-from-stimwave ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6
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https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/obstructive-sleep-apnea/hypoglossal-nerve-stimulation ↩