Medical technology experts ONWARD has announced it has completed enrolment in the Up-Lift study, an initiative aiming to advance treatment for spinal cord injury.
ONWARD are medical technology specialists striving to design cutting-edge therapies to restore movement, independence, and health in people with spinal cord injury. The company has now made a significant step in achieving that mission, announcing it has completed enrolment in the Up-Lift study, a crucial, large-scale trial of non-invasive spinal cord stimulation technology. The study will evaluate the effectiveness of ARC therapy at restoring hand and arm function in people with spinal cord injury (SCI).
The Up-Lift trial
ONWARD has now achieved the study’s enrolment threshold of 65 subjects enrolled at leading spinal cord injury sites in the US, Canada, the UK, and the Netherlands. Up-Lift is a prospective, single-arm study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of non-invasive electrical spinal cord stimulation (ARC Therapy) to treat upper extremity functional deficits in people with chronic tetraplegia.
Dave Marver, Chief Executive Officer of ONWARD, said: “The study reached its enrolment objective in under 12 months despite lock-downs, travel restrictions, and other COVID-related challenges. This milestone underscores the spinal cord injury community’s enthusiasm for this promising therapy. We will now work with determination to prepare submissions to regulatory authorities in the US and Europe, so we can bring this important therapy to market for the benefit of people with SCI and their loved ones.”
Edelle Field-Fote, PT, PhD, FAPTA, FASIA, co-PI of the Up-LIFT trial and Director of Spinal Cord Injury Research at Shepherd Center and Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine, commented: “For individuals with impaired arm and hand function due to spinal cord injury, improved hand function directly translates into meaningful gains in terms of quality of life – being able to eat, dress or perform other daily life activities. It was very rewarding to take part in this important trial and collaborate with many of the most highly respected SCI rehabilitation centres across the globe.”
Chet Moritz, PhD, co-PI of the Up-LIFT trial and Associate Professor in the Departments of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle, said: “The end of enrolment for this trial marks a significant milestone in bringing non-invasive stimulation for restoring hand and arm function to people living with spinal cord injury. We are hopeful this study can lead to the broad availability of this important therapy.”
The company expects to initially commercialise ARC Therapy in the US, Germany, France, UK, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. To learn more about ONWARD’s ARC Therapy and the company’s vision to restore movement, independence, and health in people with spinal cord injury, please visit ONWD.com.
