Restoring thought-controlled movement after spinal cord injury using a brain-computer interface

Reviewed by Lily Ramsey, LLMMay 27 2023

ONWARD Medical N.V., the medical technology company creating innovative spinal cord stimulation therapies to restore movement, function, and independence in people with spinal cord injury (SCI), today announces a publication in Nature showing that a wireless brain-computer interface (BCI) can use thought to modulate ARC Therapy. Researchers reported that when paired with ARC Therapy, an implanted BCI allowed an individual to gain augmented control over when and how he moved his paralyzed legs.

This publication shows the remarkable potential of ARC Therapy to be enhanced with the introduction of a BCI, facilitating more natural movement based on the thoughts of a person living with paralysis. We have positioned ONWARD as a leader in the BCI field with our unique understanding of spinal cord stimulation for people with SCI.”

Dave Marver, CEO, ONWARD.

The BCI establishes a continuous link between movement intentions and spinal cord stimulation, allowing for more natural restoration of mobility. I look forward to working with the ONWARD team to advance this important new technology.”

Grégoire Courtine, Neuroscientist and Professor, EPFL, and Co-author of the Nature Paper.

The data published today are part of an ongoing clinical feasibility study investigating the safety and preliminary effectiveness of brain-controlled spinal cord stimulation after SCI. The study is being coordinated by .NeuroRestore co-Directors – Grégoire Courtine and Jocelyne Bloch, a neurosurgeon at Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) – as well as Guillaume Charvet, Head of the Medical Device Development Lab at CEA-Leti / Clinatec.

All ONWARD devices and therapies, including but not limited to ARC-IM, ARC-EX, and ARC Therapy, are investigational and not available for commercial use.