Soin Neuroscience
Neuromodulation Disruptor

Is there a way to completely do away with chronic pain? This remains a burning question for more than 35 percent of Americans who suffered from chronic pain at some point in their lives. Some turn to opioids to minimize the pain but often fall prey to their addictive properties. Spinal cord stimulators have emerged as an addiction-free alternative. However, a majority of these devices are only partly effective, reportedly achieving a 50 to 60 percent reduction in pain.

Soin Neuroscience is rewriting this narrative with its novel, proprietary spinal cord stimulator that can drive the pain scores significantly lower in preliminary testing.

“We are focused on advanced technological innovation and patient centric customization to treat chronic pain without addicting medications,” says Dr. Amol Soin, founder and CEO of Soin Neuroscience.

Not Just ‘Another’ Spinal Cord Stimulator

Dr. Soin’s inspiration stemmed from his first-hand experience of the opioid crisis unfolding in Ohio. Deaths caused by opioid overdose reportedly surpassed motor vehicle accidents as the most common cause of death in young people.

This troublesome situation led Dr. Soin and co-inventor Eric A. Schepis to develop a new type of spinal cord stimulator that they hope will make a bigger difference. Dr. Soin and Dr Schepis concluded from their research that if the right signal can be sent to the right bundle of nerves in the spinal cord while delivering patient specific customized random signals known as “tuned noise,” the pain score can go down to nil.

Soin and Schepis realized that the nerves of the spine responsible for transmitting pain signals respond better to electrical signals that they can understand. In order to figure out what types of signals the spine nerves would find pleasant, the team decided to convert a spinal cord stimulator’s electrical output into something we can understand right now. Realizing that all current spinal cord stimulators communicate in electrical blips, beeps and noises that are not pleasant to listen to, the Soin team decided to find electrical signals that are pleasant to hear, convert those into electrical signals that are then delivered to the spinal cord.

Soin and Schepis took songs from Aretha Franklin and Elvis, converted their hit songs into electrical signals to use on the spine’s nerves. This has never been done before and the results astounded the Soin Neuroscience Team.

Realizing that not everyone likes the same music, the Soin Team then decided to customize the electrical signals and tune them to each patient. This is how the concept of “tuned noise spinal cord stimulation” was developed.

Next, the Soin team took an electrical signal known as the primordial sound of the universe, which is an electrical signal that is believed by some scholars to have reverberated through every known atom during the creation event of the universe. Soin decided to deliver that signal through their stimulator. The Soin Neuroscience theory was that god (or science) used that frequency for a reason. When this was run through the stimulator, patients noted almost complete elimination of their debilitating pain. Instead of the beeps and blips delivered by current technology, Soin is able to deliver a complex harmonious signal. This leap of innovation is what separates the Soin system from the rest.

Arguably the most sophisticated medical device for chronic pain treatment, Soin Neuroscience’s spinal cord stimulator comprises electrical leads placed into the spine’s epidural space. Through a stimulator powered by a small generator and controlled using an external control app, the device delivers electrical noise that is then tuned and crafted specifically to each patient on their spinal cord which then modulates and decreases pain.

Since patients experience varying degrees and causes of pain, it’s necessary to tailor the frequency to assure total pain relief. The uniqueness of the Soin technology is that unlike all existing spinal stimulators that output electrical pulses that sound like blips and beeps, Soin delivers complex tuned stimulation that sound like a pleasing symphony which in early testing has facilitated dramatic pain reduction, often eliminating the pain entirely.

“To take the pain score to zero, the electrical noise is specifically tuned and crafted to that patient. Think of it like the stimulator is an instrument and the Soin Neuroscience Stimulator plays a pleasing song to the spinal cord. Our device communicates complex information to the spinal cord in ways that has not been done before, which allows us to reduce pain” says Dr. Soin.

The Soin Neuroscience Spinal Cord Stimulator’s novel energy frequency can be tuned and customized to each patient’s medical condition such that each patient has their own unique waveform that works for their diagnosis. It essentially creates a “neurologic finger print” which is delivered through Soin’s various waveforms for maximum pain reduction.

“We wanted to speak in the same language as the spine nerves. Think of the Soin Neuroscience Spinal Cord Stimulation system as the combination of science, art, music, neurobiology, and theology to try to create, in our opinion, the most sophisticated and advanced device,” noted Dr. Soin.

Multiple patients who have undergone pilot studies in Dr. Soin’s office in Ohio have reported significant pain relief. One, who experienced no pain relief after trying a competing spinal cord stimulation device, noted pain scores decreasing down to zero. The patient also regained the ability to stand for prolonged periods.

Another Ohio-based patient experienced a similar dip in pain score during testing rounds while citing how less painful it was than the spinal injections they used to get.

Diabetic neuropathy and urinary incontinence are other chronic medical conditions deftly addressed by Soin Neuroscience’s spinal cord stimulator. An ex-football player suffering from the condition experienced excruciating nerve pain in his back and leg. As soon as he underwent the spinal cord stimulator test, the pain drastically reduced to zero within 40 minutes. He was able to touch his leg without feeling pain for the first time in years. Overwhelmed by the instant relief the device provided, he called his wife to share his disbelief, describing the pain relief as a ‘Christmas miracle.’

Leap Of Innovation

Dedicated to exploring newer avenues for chronic pain relief, Dr. Soin recently developed a pain relief “gel patch” for treating pain.

To provide a better pain management alternative than oral medication, Soin developed a polymer, a pharmaceutical matrix that looks like a gel A patient suffering from pain can apply the colorless and odorless gel, which dries as a clear film and functions like a pain patch. It continuously delivers medicine to the painful area over multiple hours. The patch is not water-soluble, so it can withstand sweating or light moisture. Contrary to most square gel patches, it is customized to the affected area to cover the entire and exact pain spot, maximizing the medicine’s effect.

Further setting the gel patch apart is the flexibility it offers to the patient. Many patches are difficult to use, as they do not allow the patient to comfortably flex and extend their elbow, shoulder or knee joint. But Soin’s gel patch is designed to conform to the shape of the applied body part. As the gel dries, it adheres to the skin while maintaining flexibility, allowing the patch to move with the skin and the underlying area, without restricting mobility. What’s more, no one notices the patient is wearing a patch.

The Next Milestone

Early positive pilot study results have set the momentum for the Soin Spinal Cord Stimulator’s commercialization. Patents have been issued to protect the device’s intellectual properties, with plans to roll it out nationally upon FDA approval, expected within the next two years.

Going forward, Dr. Soin envisions two pathways. Soin Neuroscience will launch its own spinal cord stimulator manufacturing company, or partner with an existing manufacturer to enhance their device using its proprietary techniques.

Soin is also expediting clinical trials for its proprietary gel patch, and is only two clinical studies away from FDA approval.

Equipped with trailblazing products, Soin Neuroscience is inching closer toward its goal of realizing a chronic pain free future and improving the quality of countless of lives through innovative approaches to pain management.