Artificial retinal prostheses are poised to make a dramatic impact by restoring at least partial vision to people blinded by degenerative ophthalmic diseases. A number of companies are developing complex implantable microelectronic innovations, many with external hardware components, to stimulate the retina and overcome the photoreceptor cell deterioration that is the hallmark of these diseases. LambdaVision Inc. is taking a unique approach to restoring vision by developing a flexible, protein-based retinal implant designed to provide higher resolution and to be less surgically invasive than competing technologies.

Each month, Start-Up presents a comprehensive review of young, private life science companies that have recieved venture funding during the month, including companies in the pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostic and research instrumentation & reagent sectors.

A preview of the emerging health care companies profiled in the current, all profiles issue of Start-Up. This month's profile groups: Post-Macugen, Still In-Licensing to Uncover Value in Ophthalmology, Neurostimulation's Billion Dollar Markets, and Antibacterial Drug Development. Plus these Start-Up Across Health Care: Ascenta Therapeutics, CircuLite, CoroNovative and Endovalve.

Beyond the functional stimulation of muscles to get them moving, electrical stimulation can also operate on blood vessels, membranes, and receptors-targets in the body once regarded as the domain of pharmaceuticals. Indeed, driving sales of $2 billion in the neurostimulation industry in 2005 and growth rates of almost 20% going forward, are large-market clinical indications that haven't been well-served by drugs: pain, epilepsy, depression, stroke, urinary incontinence, Parkinson's disease, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. For some of these disorders, chronic neurostimulation-of the deep brain, the spinal cord, the vagus and other nerves-promises site-specific, side-effect free and reversible therapies that have the potential to be efficacious where drugs can't.