Medtronic, a Minneapolis, Minn., medical technology provider, has acquired Sapiens Steering Brain Stimulation (Sapiens SBS), a Netherlands-based, privately held developer of deep brain stimulation (DBS) technologies, for approximately $200 million in cash.

The acquisition of Sapiens SBS strengthens Medtronic's capabilities in an emerging frontier of medicine—the modulation of brain function. Medtronic said it strives to become the partner of choice for neurosurgeons and neuroscience centers around the world.

Sapiens SBS is developing a DBS system that features an advanced DBS lead with 40 individual stimulation points. This advanced system is designed to allow more precise stimulation of the intended target in the brain and may potentially result in reduced procedure time and fewer stimulation-induced side effects.

Medtronic focuses on neuromodulation, the targeted and regulated delivery of electrical pulses and pharmaceuticals to specific sites in the nervous system. The company's neuromodulation business includes implantable neurostimulation and targeted drug delivery systems for the management of chronic pain, common movement disorders, spasticity and urologic and gastrointestinal disorders.

Employees at the Eindhoven facility will continue to work toward bringing this technology to market. In the future, the site will serve as a global R&D center for Medtronic's neuromodulation business, complementing its existing R&D operations.

Medtronic and Sapiens SBS will work to finalize product development and begin clinical research to integrate these technologies into an expanded portfolio of DBS products within Medtronic's neuromodulation business.

Medtronic helped pioneer DBS, and more than 115,000 patients worldwide have received Medtronic DBS Therapy, which is approved in many locations around the world, including Europe and the U.S., for the treatment of the disabling symptoms of essential tremor, advanced Parkinson's disease and chronic intractable primary dystonia, for which approval in the U.S. is under a Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE).

In Europe, Canada and Australia, DBS therapy is approved for the treatment of refractory epilepsy. DBS therapy also is approved for the treatment of severe, treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder in the European Union and Australia, and in the U.S. under an HDE.