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HAVE YOU HEARD?
RECENT HIGH NOTES OF QUALIA OTO
Dr. Lee Featured Lecturer at ICORL 2025
April 25, 2025 – The International Congress of ORL-HNS 2025 invited CMO Dr. Kenneth Lee as a featured speaker to its ICORL 2025 conference. ICORL 20205, in conjunction with the 99th Annual Congress of Korean Society of Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, held its event Suwon, South Korea April 18-20. The event boasted lectures “by renowned experts, encouraging lively discussions and the exchange of cutting-edge knowledge.”
Dr. Lee joined other otologists, rhinologists, and head and neck surgeons from around the world to share advances in the field. His talk, “Optimizing Intra-Cochlear Location and Minimizing Trauma with Shape Memory Polymer Electrode Array”, highlighted Qualia Oto’s novel approach to enhancing the efficacy of cochlear implants alongside safe implantation via the incorporation of shape-memory polymers.
Qualia Oto Awarded $300K NIH Phase I SBIR Grant
April 16, 2025 – The National Institutes of Health announced it will fund Qualia Oto’s recent Phase I grant proposal “Robotic-Inserted, Shape-Conforming Cochlear Implant Electrode Arrays.”
With this support, Qualia Oto will validate that our novel shape-changing polymers, which can adapt to the ear’s unique geometry allowing ideal placement of the implant within the inner ear, can be inserted even more reliably and favorably with assistance from robotic machinery. By slowing down insertion up to 90% relative to that of a CI surgeon’s hand, the technology delivers unprecedented control of the array insertion, which has been shown to reduce trauma to the cochlear when compared to manual insertions. Total funding will be more than $304,000 over the course of the coming 12 months. Read more here.
Dr. Walter Voit Presents at the 2025 SMBT Conference
March 5, 2025 – The Society for Brain Mapping & Therapeutics (SBMT) recently hosted its 2025 Neurotech Convention of the Society for Brain Mapping & Therapeutics. The Los Angeles conference boasted "a lineup of esteemed keynotes who deliver groundbreaking perspectives and insights into the critical issues shaping neuroscience today and charting the course for its future." The conference welcomed both national and international participants.
Qualia Oto President Dr. Walter Voit presented "Softening Bioelectronics with Shape Fixity", highlighting the future that shape-changing polymers will play in the medical field. Qualia Oto’s incorporation of these softening bioelectronics is pushing towards a profound impact on the cochlear implant industry.
PGN Invites Benedict Voit to its Industry Leader Event
February 3, 2025 – Phi Gamma Nu (PGN), a professional development organization at UT Dallas, welcomed Qualia Oto COO Benedict Voit to present at its leadership event last week. Voit joined business leaders from JP Morgan, Thompson Reuters, and BCG, as well as other serial entrepreneurs, to share insights on how students can successfully utilize their undergraduate experiences to prepare them for the next stages of life.
"Regardless of their plans upon graduation, there are concrete principles appropriate for all fields," Voit said. "I emphasized that besides needing to learn concepts and foundational skills, they also need to learn how to learn. For example, by the time they enter the business community, who knows what AI will be able to do. They must be able to adapt."
COO Benedict Voit Joins Callier Center's Board of Trustees
January 3, 2025 – Qualia Oto COO Benedict Voit recently accepted an invitation to join the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for the Callier Center for Communication Disorders. The Callier Center, an institution directly tied to both UT Dallas and UT Southwestern Medical Center, initiated its cochlear implant program in 1991. Mr. Voit has been involved with the Callier Center for many years, and the Board of Trustees extended an official invitation, noting that Voit has "an amazing background and will be such an asset to the Board."
"I am thrilled and honored to join the Board," Voit noted. "Callier boasts both clinical and academic leaders, and the UT System (and Texas in general) is fortunate to be connected with such a fantastic institution."
Dr. Voit's Lab Highlighted in Advanced Materials Technology
December 4, 2024 – University of Texas at Dallas professor and Qualia Oto President Dr. Walter Voit showcased his lab's research in the latest publication of Advanced Materials Technology. In the article "Softening, Conformable, and Stretchable Conductors for Implantable Bioelectronics Interfaces", lead author Dr. Pedro Rocha-Flores outlines the challenges arising from neural implantable devices: on the one hand, rigid materials have mechanical mismatches with body tissue, while highly stretchable polymers have limited compatibility with lithography techniques and electrical stability. This publication highlights the novel capacity of softening polymers - the solution Qualia Oto is advancing for use within cochlear implants.
Dr. Voit Spotlights Qualia Oto at UT Dallas Systems Biology Conference
November 22, 2024 – The University of Texas at Dallas welcomed Qualia Oto President Dr. Walter Voit to present at its 2024 "Systems Thinking in Biology" conference. The day-long event focused on computationally-based research in the field, current intriguing applications, and innovative learning modalities and device advancements in the biomedical sciences. Other speakers included faculty from UT Dallas and UT Southwestern, as well as visiting professors from the University of Buffalo and the University of Virgina.
Part of Dr. Voit's talk featured the growth and development of Qualia Oto and its role in improving the cochlear implant space specifically, as well as advancing the potential of medical devices.
Qualia Oto Welcomes Dr. Benjamin Lund as new CTO
October 22, 2024 – Qualia Oto is excited to announce Dr. Benjamin Lund, PhD, as its Chief Technology Officer; Lund will drive integration of its novel shape-memory polymers into commercial cochlear implants and manage the company’s deep technology portfolio. Lund is an avid researcher and inventor who earned top honors as Tech Titans Inventor of the Year across DFW in 2023.
"Benjamin’s publication record and patent proficiency, along with his expertise in thiol-mediated interface chemistry, will accelerate Qualia Oto’s current phase of commercialization," noted CEO Connie Manz. "Benjamin has the skillset necessary to ensure our products meet the demanding technical specifications necessary for next generation global cochlear implant users."
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Dr. Jimin Maeng Invited Speaker at University of North Texas
October 10, 2024 – Senior Research Engineer Dr. Jimin Maeng accepted the invitation by UNT's Biomedical Engineering Department to lead a seminar on technological innovations for next-generation neural interfaces. Dr. Maeng highlighted the advances Qualia Oto has made in the field, specifically related to improving the future designs and capacities of cochlear implants.
"It was a great pleasure speaking at the UNT Biomedical Engineering Seminar and sharing Qualia Oto’s novel shape memory polymer cochlear implant technology," Dr. Maeng noted. "The audience was genuinely interested in this research topic and our innovations, and I enjoyed the follow-up questions and conversations that extended well beyond the presentation."
Dr. Pete Weber Joins Qualia Oto's Medical Advisory Board
September 23, 2024 – Qualia Oto is thrilled to welcome otolaryngologist and serial entrepreneur Dr. Pete Weber to its Medical Advisory Board. Dr. Weber (MD, MBA, MEng) boasts "25 years of multidisciplinary expertise in product development, research, clinical, editorial, and publication focusing on small molecules, gene therapy, device, oncology, neurology, and otolaryngology treatment innovations."
In addition to his current practice, Dr. Weber currently works for multiple startup companies as CMO or a consultant. He received both his Bachelors and Masters of Engineering degrees from Washington University, his MD from the Albany Medical College, and his Executive MBA from Duke University.
The NIH Awards Qualia Oto $277k through a Phase I SBIR Grant
August 29, 2024 – The National Institutes of Health awarded Qualia Oto over $277,000 in federal funding through its Phase I Small Business Innovation Research program. Over the coming nine months, Qualia Oto will utilize these funds to validate the viability of shape-adaptive cochlear implant electrode arrays as a new solution for achieving atraumatic cochlear implantation and optimal electrode positioning.
“After nearly 20 years as a pediatric otologist, the most rewarding surgery I perform is a cochlear implant,” noted Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kenneth Lee (MD, PhD). “Knowing that our novel advancements may deliver even better results for future patients is truly exciting.” Read more on this awarded grant.
Callier Center’s Summer Listening Camp Reaches New Heights
August 5, 2024 – Over three dozen children joined other Campers for the annual Summer Listening Camp hosted by the Callier Center for Communications Disorders. These kids, as young as 4, took this week-long opportunity to enjoy fellowship, games, and learning with others who are also deaf or hard-of-hearing.
“What the Callier Center can provide these kids is really wonderful,” noted COO Benedict Voit, who visited the camp. “Seeing a vibrant community of students supported by dozens of mentors who can embrace and overcome these deficits is touching. It reinforces my awareness of the impact our technologies can have on future lives.”
Qualia Oto Presents its Advancements Publicly at Global CI Conference
July 24, 2024 – CMO Dr. Kenneth Lee showcased the incorporation of Qualia Oto's shape-changing polymer technology into a novel cochlear implant electrode capable of lateral wall insertion with a subsequent transition to a deeper, peri-modiolar positioning. The talk highlighted results from years of research.
"It was so exciting to finally present our work, years in the making, on a global stage. We were so pleased to find our enthusiasm validated by the mutual excitement for our research by our colleagues and the leading corporations at the conference. It has further fueled our drive to push forward."
Read more on his impactful presentation.
The ACIA Invites Dr. Kenneth Lee to its Board of Directors
July 15, 2024 – The American Cochlear Implant Alliance recognized Qualia Oto CMO and co-founder Dr. Kenneth Lee's value in the CI community by welcoming him to its Board of Directors; Dr. Lee will share his experience, expertise, and insights to advance the mission of the organization.
"It’s a great honor to join the esteemed colleagues on the ACIA Board of Directors," Dr. Lee noted. "I am thrilled to have the privilege to serve the Alliance and the patients we care for in this capacity."
The ACIA is a non-profit membership organization "created with the purpose of eliminating barriers to cochlear implantation by sponsoring research, driving heightened awareness and advocating for improved access to cochlear implants."
Dr. Benjamin Lund Joins Qualia Oto's Technical Advisory Board
June 28, 2024 – Qualia Oto is thrilled to welcome materials science innovator and applied polymer research expert Dr. Benjamin Lund to its Technical Advisory Board. With nearly 20 years of experience in synthetic organic chemistry, Dr. Lund will provide key insights into advancing the company’s novel production and application of softening polymers.
"I am excited to join Qualia Oto’s Technical Advisory Board and contribute to the development of their groundbreaking cochlear implant technologies," noted Dr. Lund. "I believe that my experience in the field of polymer chemistry can assist Qualia Oto in developing enhanced products which will benefit the company as well as the deaf and hard-of-hearing community once these products to go market."
Qualia Oto Featured at 2024 North Texas Cochlear Implant Symposium
May 9, 2024 – CMO Dr. Kenneth Lee showcased Qualia Oto's precise application of its unique polymer technology within cochlear implant development at the Symposium; he will share these advancements on the international stage at the American Cochlear Implant Alliance conference in Vancouver this July.
Dr. Andrea Warner-Czyz, the current Chair of the Board of Directors for the ACIA, attended Dr. Lee's talk. She noted that "Qualia Oto’s technology has the potential to transform the accuracy of internal device placement and rate of hearing preservation, both of which will benefit the next generation of cochlear implant users."
Read more on the Symposium.
COO Benedict Voit Teaches at UT Dallas Jindal School of Management
April 4, 2024 – COO & CFO Benedict Voit represented Qualia Oto as a guest lecturer at the UT Dallas Jindal School of Management last week. Invited by the university's Associate Dean for External Relations, Chris Bhatti, Voit shared his insights into starting, managing, and growing a startup business.
"Students know that running a startup is challenging and risky," Voit noted. "I wanted to share personal excitements and rewards, too."
"The class loved hearing his story and learning from him," Bhatti said. "He is welcome back any time."
CTO Dr. Stuart Cogan Presents at GRC 2024
March 18, 2024 – Last week, CTO Dr. Stuart Cogan presented at the 2024 Neuroelectronic Interfaces Gordon Research Conference, highlighting his research on neural stimulation. "A key part of the long-term stimulation stability is the construction method of the electrodes," Dr. Cogan noted. "Improving the structure and electrochemical characterization of the electrode coatings can go a long way in optimizing neural stimulation. I was pleased to highlight our ongoing findings in this field."
GRC prides itself on providing "an international forum for the presentation and discussion of frontier research in the biological, chemical, physical, and engineering sciences and their interfaces."
Qualia Oto Celebrates International Cochlear Implant Day
February 25, 2024 – Qualia Oto joins in recognizing today as International Cochlear Implant Day. Such a day is important, says UT Southwestern ENT surgeon Dr. Walter Kutz. "Although cochlear implants can restore hearing in patients with severe hearing loss, there remains a lack of awareness that this technology exists."
As an example, a recent study of over 15,000 adults found that nearly a third of respondents - who themselves had hearing troubles - had ‘never heard’ of a cochlear implant.
Qualia Oto is happy to help spread the word.
#InternationalCochlearImplantDay
Dr. Lee Selected as UTSW Pediatric Group's Health System Medical Director
January 9, 2024 – Qualia Oto CMO Dr. Kenneth Lee added another title to his already-impressive resume: Health System Medical Director for the UT Southwestern Pediatric Group. In his new role, Dr. Lee will oversee the budgeting and operations for the outpatient clinics of the UTSW Pediatric Surgical and Medical Specialists - Plano Children’s Campus; he also will be involved in directing strategies to improve patient volumes and level of services provided to the local community.
Dr. Lee is the John W. & Rhonda K. Pate Professor in Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center, as well as the Chief of Specialty Surgery & Director of Pediatric Otolaryngology at Children's Health Plano.
