Stimalia develops TraumaTone, a minimally invasive bioelectronic implant that modulates the stellate ganglion to quiet the body's chronic stress response in PTSD patients. The single outpatient procedure offers a drug-free alternative for the 50% of patients who don't respond to standard care, with the same platform also supporting a veterinary program for canine behavioral disorders.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Post-traumatic stress disorder affects approximately 24 million adults in the EU and US, yet roughly 50% of patients are treatment-resistant despite standard care. Existing therapies—primarily pharmaceuticals and trauma-focused psychotherapy—often carry side effects like cognitive blunting, require sustained time commitment, and fail to address the underlying physiological state of chronic autonomic hyperarousal, contributing to an annual societal cost of $350 billion and higher opioid dependency risk.
Solution
Stimalia's TraumaTone is a percutaneous, implantable neuromodulation device that targets the stellate ganglion, the sympathetic nervous system's central relay, to calm the body's alarm response at its physiological origin. The single outpatient procedure involves one implantation with no daily pills or repeated injections, and clinical data spanning decades shows 70–80% response rates. The device is programmable and designed for durable benefit, providing continuous neuromodulation that extends symptom reduction beyond what a single stellate ganglion block achieves. The same platform technology also supports a veterinary program, CalmTone Vet, addressing trauma-related behavioral disorders in dogs, creating two markets from one core technology and shared clinical foundation.
Target Audience
Primary customers are PTSD patients who are treatment-resistant or unable to tolerate standard care, including elite athletes, military veterans, and service members, as well as veterinary clinics treating dogs with trauma-related behavioral disorders.
Features
- Percutaneous implant targeting the stellate ganglion, the sympathetic system's central relay, for direct modulation of the autonomic nervous system
- Single outpatient implantation procedure designed for durable, programmable benefit without daily medication or repeated injections
- Drug-free mechanism with no systemic pharmacological exposure, avoiding side effects like cognitive blunting or performance impairment
- Continuous neuromodulation technology that extends the benefit of stellate ganglion block beyond the temporary effect of a single injection
- Platform architecture supporting dual applications: TraumaTone for human PTSD and CalmTone Vet for canine trauma-related behavioral disorders
- Programmable device settings allowing clinicians to tailor stimulation parameters to individual patient needs over time