Company History
Advanced Bionics® is a global leader in implantable neurostimulation devices (high technology bionics). The company was founded in 1993 to manufacture and distribute the Clarion® cochlear implant to treat deafness. Advanced Bionics evolved from two other highly successful companies that developed and marketed innovative medical devices, one created new-generation pacemakers and the other developed novel microinfusion systems (miniature drug delivery pumps used in the treatment of diabetes).
The Clarion System's fundamental premise— deaf patients would be able to hear better with more options in how sound information is delivered to the auditory nerve—came from the research laboratory of the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF). Intrigued by the notion of "helping deaf people hear" Alfred E. Mann founded Advanced Bionics in 1993 and asked Jeff Greiner to lead the fledgling organization of 7 engineers and scientists. Al Mann and Jeff Greiner have been working together since then, developing state-of-the-art medical technology to benefit patients. The 7-person organization they founded has grown to over 700 employees worldwide.
The Clarion System's fundamental premise— deaf patients would be able to hear better with more options in how sound information is delivered to the auditory nerve—came from the research laboratory of the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF). Intrigued by the notion of "helping deaf people hear" Alfred E. Mann founded Advanced Bionics in 1993 and asked Jeff Greiner to lead the fledgling organization of 7 engineers and scientists. Al Mann and Jeff Greiner have been working together since then, developing state-of-the-art medical technology to benefit patients. The 7-person organization they founded has grown to over 700 employees worldwide.
In March 1996, the company received approval from the FDA to market the Clarion cochlear implant for use in post-lingually deafened adults, and in 1997, received approval to market its cochlear implants for use in children.
In 2003, Advanced Bionics began marketing its HiResolution® Bionic Ear System, which represents one of the most electronically advanced medical implants in the world.
And in late 2006, the Harmony HiResolution Bionic Ear system was introduced with the Fidelity 120 software feature enabling the stimulation of 120 spectral bands, up from the previously available 16 bands. The Harmony system is designed to provide users with unmatched so they might begin to appreciate music and hear better in noisy environments.
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