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16. July 2026
The startup Electrophorus, founded at CEITEC Brno University of Technology (BUT) with the support of the CEITEC Innovation Accelerator programme, has successfully spun out and now operates as an independent technology company serving an international client base. In addition to developing its own scientific instruments for biological research, it is currently the only company in the world offering preclinical testing of neuroimplants for international manufacturers.
Electrophorus was founded by two researchers from the Bioelectronic Materials and Devices research group, Eric Daniel Glowacki and Jiří Ehlich. For many years, they have been developing tools capable of modulating and stimulating the nervous system. Initially, they designed these devices to support their own research projects, but they soon discovered a growing interest from colleagues at academic institutions in the Czech Republic and abroad, particularly those working in electrochemistry and redox biology.
“We saw the potential our work could have for the scientific community because there is a clear lack of commercially available, well-designed systems tailored for in vitro research with small-volume cell cultures. That is why we applied to the CEITEC Innovation Accelerator programme. We were selected and received two years of financial support and mentoring to help our startup grow, make our devices truly competitive, and find the best position on the market,” says Eric Daniel Glowacki.
After more than a year and a half of intensive development at CEITEC, the process culminated this April with the establishment of a limited liability company based at the South Moravian Innovation Centre (JIC), where Electrophorus now has access to complete facilities, including laboratory space. Today, the company offers the academic community a range of standardized and custom-designed electrochemical systems for early-stage research on cells and tissues, as well as a highly unique service: preclinical testing of neurostimulators before they are evaluated in animal studies and, ultimately, in human clinical trials.
According to Jiří Ehlich, the idea for this service emerged later during the incubation process within the CEITEC Innovation Accelerator programme, but it proved instrumental in enabling the company to become independent. Today, it represents a major source of revenue for Electrophorus thanks to the team’s extensive know-how and excellent market timing.
“At present, we are virtually the only company in the world capable of providing neuromodulation manufacturers with the initial verification required to confirm the proper function and, above all, the safety of the neurostimulators they are developing. The revenue from this service also allows us to continue developing our scientific instruments,” says Jiří Ehlich.
Electrophorus provides electrochemical characterization services to manufacturers, the vast majority of whom are based in, or closely connected to, the United States.
"This means that, using simplified models that imitate the environment of the human body, we examine whether electrical stimulation of the supplied prototype of the complete neuroimplant produces hazardous substances that could damage the surrounding tissues,” explains Glowacki. He adds that the result is the verification of the correctness of the stimulation protocols, i.e. the documents in which manufacturers determine, already in the preclinical phase, at what stimulation intensities the device should still be completely safe both for future stages of testing and subsequently for use in medical practice. “After surgery, neuroimplants must be individually adjusted for each patient, but thanks in part to our work, doctors will know the range within which they can calibrate the device in order to minimize potential risks,” he concludes.
Electrochemical characterization is a crucial step in neuroimplant development. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires manufacturers to provide this information before it will authorize more advanced stages of device testing. Most neuromodulation companies cannot perform these tests in-house because they lack the necessary expertise and testing infrastructure. As a result, they seek specialized partners capable of meeting the regulator’s stringent requirements.
“Because our services are unique in both their scope and quality, we intend to build on this competitive advantage. We are now working intensively to establish ourselves as a strategic partner for neuromodulation companies worldwide,” says Eric. “Our goal is not only to help companies meet regulatory requirements. We want to contribute to bringing new neurostimulation technologies to patients more quickly and with the highest possible level of safety.”
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