Neuromodulation for urological indications, notably overactive bladder (OAB), has been dominated since the late 1990s by Medtronic’s sacral-nerve stimulation system InterStim, with the more recent addition of Cogentix Medical’s Urgent PC for tibial nerve stimulation. Yet only a fraction of OAB patients receive effective neuromodulation treatment, and several companies hope to lower barriers to this modality by developing alternative devices for urological indications.

A preview of the emerging health care companies profiled in the current issue of Start-Up. This month's profile group, What Nanotech Means to Health Care Investors, features profiles of Keystone Nano, Mersana Therapeutics, Nanotrope and Triton BioSystems. Plus these Start-Up Across Health Care: Biowave, MediWound, OrthoHelix Surgical Designs and TheraPei Pharmaceuticals.

Biowave hopes to ease the suffering of those with chronic pain with non-invasive and minimally invasive neuromodulation technology. Its devices--one designed for in-hospital use, one for home use--deliver a penetrating focused electrical field into deep tissue to block pain at its source.