Sam Brusco, Associate Editor09.27.23
ONWARD Medical, a company developing spinal cord stimulation (SCS) therapies to restore movement, function, and independence in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients, has completed the first successful human implant of its ARC-IM Stimulator to restore upper extremity function after SCI.
ARC-IM, according to the company, has been applied across multiple feasibility studies for mobility restoration and blood pressure stabilization following SCI. This successful first-in-human implant marks the first time ARC-IM targeted, programmed spinal cord therapy was used to restore movement and function in the upper extremities.
Neurosurgeon Jocelyne Bloch, MD, at Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) in Lausanne, Switzerland performed two procedures last month. The ARC-IM implant surgery occurred August 14, and nine days later CEA-Clinitec's BCI WIMAGINE was implanted.
The BCI (brain-computer interface) WIMAGINE works in concert with ARC-IM to capture a paralyzed patient’s intention to move their upper extremities, then leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to decode the thoughts. ARC-IM then coverts the decoded information into precise spinal cord stimulation to cause thought-driven movement.
“The implant procedures involving the ONWARD ARC-IM and Clinatec BCI went smoothly,” Dr. Jocelyne Bloch told the press. “We are now working with the patient to use this cutting-edge innovation to recover movement of his arms, hands, and fingers. We look forward to sharing more information in due course.”
ONWARD announced in May that combining ARC Therapy with a BCI implant caused a patient to gain augmented control over movements of their paralyzed legs. The company said it plans to reveal further information in the months to come, concurrently with a peer-reviewed publication of the results.
The company’s ARC-EX platform earned U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) breakthrough device status bladder control, spasticity alleviation, and blood pressure regulation in SCI patients in February.
ARC-IM, according to the company, has been applied across multiple feasibility studies for mobility restoration and blood pressure stabilization following SCI. This successful first-in-human implant marks the first time ARC-IM targeted, programmed spinal cord therapy was used to restore movement and function in the upper extremities.
Neurosurgeon Jocelyne Bloch, MD, at Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) in Lausanne, Switzerland performed two procedures last month. The ARC-IM implant surgery occurred August 14, and nine days later CEA-Clinitec's BCI WIMAGINE was implanted.
The BCI (brain-computer interface) WIMAGINE works in concert with ARC-IM to capture a paralyzed patient’s intention to move their upper extremities, then leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to decode the thoughts. ARC-IM then coverts the decoded information into precise spinal cord stimulation to cause thought-driven movement.
“The implant procedures involving the ONWARD ARC-IM and Clinatec BCI went smoothly,” Dr. Jocelyne Bloch told the press. “We are now working with the patient to use this cutting-edge innovation to recover movement of his arms, hands, and fingers. We look forward to sharing more information in due course.”
ONWARD announced in May that combining ARC Therapy with a BCI implant caused a patient to gain augmented control over movements of their paralyzed legs. The company said it plans to reveal further information in the months to come, concurrently with a peer-reviewed publication of the results.
The company’s ARC-EX platform earned U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) breakthrough device status bladder control, spasticity alleviation, and blood pressure regulation in SCI patients in February.