Eindhoven, the Netherlands, Munich, Germany, June 1st, 2011 - Sapiens Steering Brain Stimulation GmbH ('Sapiens'), a spin off from Philips Research, announces today that it has raised €13 million in a Series A round co-led by Wellington Partners (WP) and Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners (EdRIP) with additional financing from Life Sciences Partners (LSP). Philips and NeuroNexus Technologies Inc become minority shareholders in Sapiens as a result of their contribution to the development of the Sapiens' system and underlying technologies. The funds will be used to further develop Sapiens' innovative brain stimulation system and software, its first in-man validation and regulatory approval in Europe.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is applied for the treatment of essential tremor, late-stage Parkinson's disease, dystonia and obsessive compulsive disorders and more recently for the treatment of epilepsy. It may have further potential to expand to other neurologic or psychiatric indications. DBS is a treatment that relies on the delivery of mild electrical pulses to specific areas in the brain via implanted probes that are connected to a battery-powered implantable pulse generator.

Sapiens is developing a unique, high-resolution, and MRI-compatible DBS system comprising implants with navigation and steering software. Sapiens' implantable probe with superior current steering capacity will enable precise, targeted stimulation of small brain structures. The software will allow faster and safer implantation and programming of the system and may accordingly reduce time, resources and costs for the complex DBS procedure.

The three founders, Michel Decré[<00E9>][<00E9>], Hubert Martens and Sjaak Deckers have initiated, contributed and led the work on Deep Brain Stimulation within Philips Research from 2006 to today. Sjaak Deckers, founder and CEO at Sapiens commented on the closing: "this first financing round is a real testimony to the potential of our technology and reflects the great achievements of the Sapiens team thus far".

In line with the new financing, five new members have joined the Sapiens' Board of Directors: Hans Barella, former CEO, Philips Medical Systems, as Chairman of the Sapiens Board, Todd Whitehurst, MD, former VP Emerging Indications, Boston Scientific Neuromodulation, Regina Hodits, general partner at WP, Olivier Litzka, partner at EdRIP, and Anne Portwich, partner at LSP. Lukas Guenther (WP) and Geoffroy de Ribains (EDRIP) will join as observers.

Hans Barella, member of the board of directors Elekta AB, Sweden, Chairman of the supervisory board of SupersonicImagine SA, France and the new chairman of the Sapiens Board of Directors, said: "I am looking forward to working with such an entrepreneurial team as well as with this group of reputable investors on this exciting technology that has the potential to improve brain stimulation therapy for patients with Parkinson's Disease as well as other neurological and psychiatric indications."

Todd Whitehurst, MD, VP Product Development, Sensors for Medicine and Science, Inc (SMSI), a California-based implantable sensor company, comments: "The Sapiens system is a dramatic leap forward in neuromodulation technology. With the Sapiens system, patients will receive optimal therapy with fewer side effects. The expected reductions in surgery duration and programming time represent a significant improvement for neurosurgeons and neurologists as well as patients."

Regina Hodits, from Wellington Partners: "Sapiens' integrated approach of steering neuro modulation not only offers significant advantages to patients, physicians and payors, but the advanced stage of the technology, based upon significant developments within Philips Research, also makes it an attractive investment opportunity. We are very much looking forward to working with the Sapiens' team on making Sapiens a success. "

Olivier Litzka, from Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners: "Sapiens' complete solution has the potential to significantly expand the use of DBS by simplifying the surgical procedure and by greatly improving efficacy and safety. We are excited to back the development of this ambitious project and this great team."

About Sapiens
Sapiens Brain Steering Stimulation GmbH is an emerging medical device company whose mission is to deliver superior solutions for deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy. Sapiens' ambition is to provide a unique, high-resolution, and MRI-compatible DBS system that will improve patient comfort and therapeutic outcome, initially for patients with Parkinson's disease. Sapiens, with offices in Eindhoven, the Netherlands and Munich, Germany, is founded in 2011 as a spin-out of Royal Philips Electronics. Its steering brain stimulation (SBS) system and image-guided programming are based upon patented technologies. For more information, please visit www.sapiensneuro.com.

About Sapiens proprietary DBS system
Sapiens is developing a unique, high-resolution, and MRI-compatible DBS system comprising navigation and steering software and implants. The software solution creates a patient specific brain map and will support the surgeon in finding the ideal trajectory, avoiding critical structures en route to the target zone. It will also allow a faster, accurate placement of electrodes in the target area of the brain. Sapiens' probe will be an array with many tiny electrodes that can be activated independently allowing to precisely steer the stimulation pulses to desired target regions. The image-based software allows the optimization of steering the current to its desired position and enabling further programming and post-operative fine tuning. Sapiens complete solution includes next-generation implantable pulse generators (IPG) with superior MRI-compatibility features and battery life.

About Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson's Disease
Sapiens initially focuses on Parkinson's disease (PD), a clinically proven and reimbursed DBS indication. World-wide, the number of patients with PD is estimated at 6 million; in about 1 million of these patients medication becomes inadequate and they can envisage DBS as adjunctive therapy. Today, only 80k patients, less than 8% of these patients, have been implanted with a DBS device. The current DBS world market for PD is 350 m€, growing with 16% CAGR. Key factors hampering faster growth are technology limitations resulting in too high adverse event rates and complicated procedures. Therefore, neurologists today only prescribe DBS as a last-resort therapy for late stage PD patients. Sapiens' programme of products will address these issues, which may accelerate market growth for PD, and other indications.

About Wellington Partners
Wellington Partners is one of the most successful pan-European venture capital firms. With some € 800 million under management and offices in London, Munich, Palo Alto and Zurich, the firm invests into companies throughout Europe that have the potential to become global leaders, in the areas of Digital Media, Technology and Life Sciences. Since 1998, Wellington has invested in more than 100 companies, including publicly traded Actelion, Wavelight, Evolva and XING and successful privately held companies like Alando (acquired by eBay) and Grandis (acquired by Novartis). For more information please visit www.wellington-partners.com.

About Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners
Paris-based Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners is dedicated to minority investments into privately-owned companies. It has currently more than €800 million under management which is being invested primarily as life sciences venture capital and growth capital. Its Life Sciences team of seven professionals brings together over 30 years of experience in the Life Science industry and more than 50 years of private equity and venture capital experience. The team has approximately €220 million under management, and raised its most recent fund, € 150 million BioDiscovery 3 fund, in 2008. Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners is part of La Compagnie Financière Edmond de Rothschild. For more information please visit: www.edrip.fr.

About LSP
LSP is a leading independent European investment firm, providing financing for private and public life-science companies. Since the late 1980s, LSP's management has invested in a large number of highly innovative enterprises, many of which have grown to become leaders of the global life-science industry. For example, LSP was a founding investor in Movetis, Crucell, DNage, Qiagen, Rhein Biotech and Pharming. With over EUR 500 million under management and offices in Amsterdam, Munich and Boston, LSP is one of Europe's largest and most experienced specialist life-science investors. For more information please visit: www.lspvc.com.

About NeuroNexus
NeuroNexus is a neurotechnology company that develops and commercializes advanced brain interface devices for neurological and scientific applications. The company's proprietary technologies enables placement of sophisticated microelectronic and fluidic components on the surface of miniaturized brain probes that can be used to map brain function, to stimulate or modulate functions in specific brain regions, or to deliver drugs to precisely where they are needed in the brain. NeuroNexus is a leader in transforming ideas to technologies, and technologies to innovative products by working at the leading edges of neuroscience research, sensor technologies, and neurological applications. NeuroNexus is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan USA. For more information please visit www.neuronexus.com.