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Distributed September 7, 2005
Contact Mark Nickel


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Brown and Cyberkinetics Sign Collaborative Research Agreement

Brown University and Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems Inc. have signed a research and licensing agreement under which eligible neuroscience researchers at Brown will have access to human clinical data gathered during testing of the BrainGate™ Neural Interface System.


FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (Sept. 7, 2005)— Brown University and Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems Inc. (OTCBB:CYKN) (Cyberkinetics) today announced that they have signed a collaborative research and licensing agreement that would give certain neuroscience researchers at Brown access to commercially valuable clinical research data provided by Cyberkinetics. The agreement will support further basic neuroscientific research that could lead to additional proprietary inventions. Cyberkinetics was founded in 2001, based on research led by John P. Donoghue, chair of the Department of Neuroscience at Brown University.

Under the terms of the agreement, Cyberkinetics will allow specific researchers at Brown University access to certain human clinical data obtained through the company’s research and development programs in exchange for a range of options to exclusive worldwide licenses for any proprietary inventions derived from the work done by the researchers based upon Cyberkinetics’ data. The BrainGate™ System, currently in clinical testing, is designed to enable persons with severe motor impairments to communicate, move their limbs and operate a wide range of medical devices simply by using their thoughts.

Eligible neuroscience researchers at Brown may apply for access to the data through the Office of the Vice President of Research at Brown, which will arrange joint approval with Cyberkinetics. Faculty will be able to publish results of research based on the Cyberkinetics data, using a timeframe recommended by the National Institutes of Health for research that may involve patentable inventions. Brown is the first research university with access to these human trials datasets.

Andries van Dam, vice president for research at Brown, said the two-way exchange of technology will enhance a virtuous cycle that extends the University’s neuroscience research enterprise and brings important technologies to the public. “Brown’s relationship with Cyberkinetics has helped move University research into the commercial setting rapidly and efficiently,” van Dam said. “Now that relationship is poised to provide a direct benefit to research programs planned or under way by our faculty. The ground-breaking work by John Donoghue and his colleagues has set the stage for exciting and profound new research in one of the most important areas of neuroscience.”

“The clinical data being generated in the BrainGate™ program represents a unique opportunity to conduct basic and applied research into the how the human brain works,” said Timothy R. Surgenor, president and CEO of Cyberkinetics. “We are pleased to be able to provide our collaborators at Brown access to our data to support their research, while at the same time strengthening and reinforcing our ability to deliver technology and solutions to unmet medical needs.”

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