From January 14 to 16, 2026, Dystonia Europe board member Salvatore attended the ‘Originator to Innovator’ (O2I) Summit by Medtronic in Barcelona. The event, titled ‘50 Years of Innovation,’ focused on the future of neuromodulation and brain care.
The Patient Voice as a Bridge to Research
One of the main goals for Salvatore was to bring the patient perspective to the summit. With a booth at the event, he spoke directly with engineers, healthcare professionals, and researchers. These talks showed that real progress happens when new technology meets the actual experiences of patients. As Paolo Di Vincenzo from Medtronic said, working together is the only way to help patients live better lives.
Technological Milestones
The meeting focused on new developments in Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS):
* Adaptive DBS (aDBS): Experts shared how this new system can automatically adjust to a patient’s brain signals. * BrainSense™: This technology helps healthcare professionals read signals from the brain to make the treatment more precise. * Patient Education: In the ‘Learning Labs,’ the group looked for better ways to inform and support patients during their entire treatment.
Together into the Future
The event made it clear that the industry sees patient organisations as essential partners. For Dystonia Europe, the Barcelona summit showed that our voice is being heard. We will keep working to ensure that new technology leads to a better quality of life for all our members.
Salvatore Caruso, Board Member, Dystonia Europe
