Cyberkinetics' Chief Scientific Officer, John Donoghue, Ph.D., Receives Discover Magazine's Innovations Award for Neuroscience; Cited for Work on Brain-Computer Interface

Business Wire, Oct 14, 2004

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems, Inc. (OTCBB: CYKN) announced today that Dr. John Donoghue, Chief Scientific Officer of Cyberkinetics, is the recipient of Discover Magazine's 2004 Innovation Award for Neuroscience. Dr. Donoghue is recognized for his research in creating a system, known as the BrainGate(TM) Neural Interface System, whereby a sensor implanted into the brain of a primate or human can be used to detect neural signals and translate the signals into actions via computer. The 15th Annual Discover Awards honor five individuals in various disciplines whose pioneering vision, belief and determination have propelled the frontiers of biotechnology and medicine. The Innovation Awards were presented today at the TED MED Conference in Charleston, SC.

Dr. Donoghue commented, "My goal is to create a system that improves the quality of life for severely paralyzed people by allowing them to interact with their environment in new ways. We are doing this with the BrainGate system by sensing signals directly in the brain and decoding these signals with a computer that can execute the patient's actions. BrainGate may enable the patients to complete important everyday actions such as operating household devices and perhaps one day independently stimulating therapeutic devices to deliver critical treatments. I am grateful for Discover Magazine's recognition that this work has begun to achieve its goal."

About Dr. John P. Donoghue

Dr. Donoghue co-founded Cyberkinetics in 2001. He is currently the Henry Merritt Wriston Professor at Brown University. Since 1992, Dr. Donoghue has been Chair of the Department of Neuroscience and since 1998 he has served as Director of the Brain Science Program at Brown University. Dr. Donoghue has performed over 20 years of research on brain-computer interfaces and his laboratory is internationally recognized as a leader in this field. His research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health ("NIH"), the National Science Foundation ("NSF"), and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency ("DARPA"), as well as private foundations. Dr. Donoghue is the author of more than 100 research articles, book chapters and abstracts, including top journals such as Nature, Science and the Journal of Neuroscience and he has served on many external advisory panels, including those for the NIH's Neurology and Mental Health institutes and the space medicine panel of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ("NASA"). Dr. Donoghue received an A.B. from Boston University in 1971, an M.S. in Anatomy from the University of Vermont in 1976 and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Brown University in 1979.

About the BrainGate Pilot Study

Initial results of the BrainGate Neural Interface System pilot clinical study were presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in Phoenix, Arizona on October 8, 2004. The preliminary results represent the first demonstration of a quadriplegic person controlling a computer using thoughts and the BrainGate System. The BrainGate System is being evaluated by Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems, Inc. in an ongoing pilot study under an Investigational Device Exemption from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

About the BrainGate System

Cyberkinetics' BrainGate Neural Interface System is a proprietary, investigational brain-computer interface that consists of an internal neural signal sensor and external processors that convert neural signals into an output signal under the person's own control. The sensor consists of a tiny chip about the size of a baby aspirin, with one hundred electrode sensors each thinner than a hair that detect brain cell electrical activity. The sensor is implanted on the surface of the area of the brain responsible for movement, the primary motor cortex. The sensor is connected by a small wire to a pedestal which is mounted on the skull, extending through the scalp. The pedestal is in turn connected by a cable to a cart containing computers, signal processors and monitors which enable the study operators to determine how well a study participant can control his neural output.

About Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems, Inc.

Cyberkinetics, a leader in neurotechnology, an emerging field driven by advances in neuroscience, computer science, and engineering, is focused on treating nervous system dysfunction. Cyberkinetics' first product, BrainGate(TM) Neural Interface System, is designed to give severely paralyzed individuals a long-term, direct brain-computer interface for the purpose of communication and control of a computer and other devices. Patients are currently being enrolled into a pilot clinical trial to test its safety and effectiveness. Cyberkinetics' intellectual property features key technologies licensed from Brown University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Emory University, and the University of Utah. Cyberkinetics is headquartered in Foxborough, Massachusetts and conducts engineering and research in Salt Lake City, Utah. More information is available at www.cyberkineticsinc.com.