This project is funded by the European Innovation Council (EIC 2021-TransitionChallenges-01-01 ReverseParalysis n°101057450)
A spinal cord injury (SCI) negatively affects communication between the brain and spinal cord, often with devastating consequences. While most people associate a spinal cord injury with paralysis or loss of sensation, additional challenges can frequently significantly affect independence and quality of life. The average cost of care can be significant, exceeding €2.5M over the course of a lifetime for a person with paraplegia.
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ONWARD is a medical technology company creating innovative therapies to restore movement, independence, and health in people with spinal cord injuries. ONWARD’s work builds on more than a decade of basic science and preclinical research conducted at the world’s leading neuroscience laboratories. ONWARD’s ARC Therapy, which can be delivered by implantable (ARCIM) or external (ARCEX) systems, is designed to deliver targeted, programmed stimulation of the spinal cord to restore movement and other functions in people with spinal cord injury, ultimately improving their quality of life. ONWARD has received three Breakthrough Device Designations from the FDA encompassing both ARCIM and ARCEX. The company’s first FDA pivotal trial, called Up-LIFT, completed enrollment in December 2021 with 65 subjects worldwide. ONWARD is headquartered at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. It maintains an office in Lausanne, Switzerland, and has a growing U.S. presence in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. For additional information about the company, please visit ONWD.com.
Dr. Murphy is Chief Technology Officer of ONWARD Medical, N.V. He holds a Ph.D. from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology of Lausanne (EPFL). He obtained his BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA. Prior to joining ONWARD, Dr. Murphy was Chief Technology Officer and VP Research and Development at LivaNova, a global medical technology company based in Houston, Texas. A LivaNova, Dr. Murphy led the development of implantable pulse generators, programming systems, and mobile connectivity solutions. Before LivaNova, he held various leadership roles at St. Jude Medical and was responsible for bringing several technologies to market, including embedded software for neurostimulators and the market’s first Bluetooth Low Energy implantable medical device. Prior to this, Dr. Murphy worked at Medtronic where he served as Systems and Software Manager and Lead Principal R&D Engineer.
The Clinatec biomedical research center is within the CEA Grenoble, a research technological center of French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission. Clinatec combines medical research and technological innovation at the same place to translate new solutions to patients. R&D is conducted by the CEA and the Grenoble University hospital (CHUGA) oversees clinical trials. The Clinatec’s mission is to accelerate the development and clinical validation of innovative medical devices based on medical needs and using state-of-the-art technologies.Clinatec develops new treatments, diagnostics and research methods for applications in neurodegenerative disease and spinal-cord injury. A multidisciplinary team made up of clinical practitioners, biologists, mathematicians and engineers in microtechnology, nanotechnology and signal processing has been constituted at Clinatec to drive innovation in micro and nanosystems for healthcare. The platform’s unique approach—bringing together a broad range of know-how at a single location—fosters the emergence of novel solutions and speeds up proof-of-concept testing and transfer of new technologies to manufacturers. The ultimate goal is to offer new solutions to as many patients as possible. Clinatec possesses a broad range of equipment and leverages the know-how and advances of the MINATEC campus. Clinatec’s current research includes near-infrared neuromodulation to stop degeneration in Parkinson disease, an exoskeleton and brain-computer interface to help tetraplegics walk again. For additional information about CEA Leti Clinatec, please visit CEA Leti Clinatec Website and http://www.clinatec.fr/en/
https://www.leti-cea.com/cea-tech/leti/english/Pages/What's-On/Press%20release/ONWARD-Award-to-Develop-Brain-Spine-Interface-Technology.aspx
Guillaume Charvet is currently Head of Medical Devices Development Lab within CEA Leti Clinatec® in Grenoble (France), with the mission to specify, develop and integrate innovative medical devices in response to medical needs. Its technological research activities are oriented towards the field of neuroengineering for neuroprosthetics and neuromodulation devices. Currently, he leads the Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) program at Clinatec. His team develops a Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) technology for a chronic clinical application for movement compensation of patients with motor disabilities. This technology is based on a unique fully-implantable WIMAGINE® device enabling wireless brain activity recording along with a dedicated software environment and efficient neuronal activity decoding algorithms. This technology is currently evaluated in the context of two clinical trials to provide the proof that it is possible to control complex effectors, such as a 4-limb exoskeleton (tetraplegic) or spinal cord stimulator (paraplegic), thanks to brain activity monitoring and decoding.
Located in Switzerland, EPFL (www.epfl.ch) is one of Europe’s most vibrant and cosmopolitan science and technology institutions. EPFL has both a Swiss and international vocation and focuses on three missions: teaching, research and innovation. EPFL collaborates with an important network of partners, including other universities and colleges, secondary schools and gymnasiums, industry and the economy, political circles and the general public, with the aim of having a real impact on society.Associated to EPFL, the .NeuroRestore center (www.neurorestore.swiss) is a research, innovation and treatment center that develops and applies bioengineering strategies involving neurosurgical interventions to restore neurological functions. .NeuroRestore integrates implantable neurotechnologies and innovative treatments resulting from rigorous preclinical studies that have been conducted during the last 15 years in rodent and non-human primate models. These developments have led to breakthroughs for the treatment of paraplegia, tetraplegia, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and traumatic brain injuries.
Gregoire Courtine was trained in Physics and Neurosciences. After obtaining the Chancellor Award during his post-doc at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), he established his own laboratory at the University of Zurich in 2008 before joining the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) in 2012. He is now Full Professor of Neuroscience and Neurotechnology in the Center for Neuroprosthetics at EPFL and in the department of Neurosurgery at the University Hospital Lausanne (CHUV) where he is director of .NeuroRestore with Prof Jocelyne Bloch, functional neurosurgeon (CHUV). Prof Bloch will perform all the surgical interventions. NeuroRestore is a center that develops and applies bioengineering strategies involving neurosurgical interventions to restore neurological functions. He is also consultant as a Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) at ONWD, a start-up he co-founded in 2014 to translate the neurotechnologies developed in his laboratory into clinical treatments.
The Sint Maartenskliniek is a specialized clinic for patients with movement and gait disorders. Patients come to the clinic from all over the country for the highest-quality, most personal care in the field of orthopedics, rheumatology, rehabilitation science, and pain management. It is a leading clinic in the Netherlands with best practices for all four specialisms. The Sint Maartenskliniek aims to improve care for patients with posture and movement disorders, so they can regain control of their own health and can participate fully in society.Since 1988 the Sint Maartenskliniek has had its own research department. Together with the Department of Rehabilitation of the Radboud University Medical Centre, a strong network for patient care and patient-related research is formed. The main topics in the field of rehabilitation medicine are the care of patients with spinal cord injuries and the gait expertise center for patients with complex neurological gait disorders. The physicians and researchers co-author various guidelines, manuals, and protocols. The clinic also invests time and money in innovative technological interventions, such as high-quality equipment for gait training and brain-spine interface. For additional information about the Sint Maartenskliniek, please visit maartenskliniek.nl.
Prof. Dr. N.L.W. Keijsers (m) received his PhD in 2004 and is a senior researcher at Sint Maartenskliniek Research and a professor of clinical motor control at the Radboud University. His field of expertise can be summarized as experimental research on human motor control in patients with motor disabilities. He has worked with a large variety of patient types such as stroke, spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, amputees, and orthopedic patients. Most of his research has an applied clinical character and is conducted in close collaboration with medical specialists such as rehabilitation specialists, orthopedic surgeons, and neurologists. Many of his projects focus on gaining knowledge of the mechanism of adaptation and compensation of patients with neurological disorders and applying this knowledge to the clinical setting. He has published over 90 papers in international peer-reviewed journals and 3 book chapters. His H-index is 26 (Google Scholar).
DTS is Intellectual Property Law Office with offices in Munich, Stuttgart and Zurich. It was founded more than 20 years ago in Munich and is now providing counsel to clients including private inventors, SMEs but also blue chip companies. DTS is regularly ranked as a recommended IP Law Office by Financial Times Europe or JUVE.
Dr. Wende is a German and European Patent Attorney. He holds a Master's Degree (Dipl.-Ing.) in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and earned a Ph.D. for his work in the field of liver dialysis. At TUM, he is Adjunct Professor for Patent Law (https://www.mec.ed.tum.de/mmi/team/staff/). He is co-author of a Design Commentary for German and European Design Law. He advises clients in IP prosecution and litigation, but also M&A, and he is specialized in IP for Medical Technology. Further, he is active in IP Due Diligence for inter alia significant V.C. Funds and listed companies. He is a member of the Standing Advisory Committees PDI and WPQ (SACEPO PDI and SACEPO WPQ - https://www.epo.org/about-us/services-and-activities/Consultingourusers/sacepo.html) to the European Patent Office (EPO).
Located in Switzerland, EPFL (www.epfl.ch) is one of Europe’s most vibrant and cosmopolitan science and technology institutions. EPFL has both a Swiss and international vocation and focuses on three missions: teaching, research and innovation. EPFL collaborates with an important network of partners, including other universities and colleges, secondary schools and gymnasiums, industry and the economy, political circles and the general public, with the aim of having a real impact on society.Associated to EPFL, the .NeuroRestore center (www.neurorestore.swiss) is a research, innovation and treatment center that develops and applies bioengineering strategies involving neurosurgical interventions to restore neurological functions. .NeuroRestore integrates implantable neurotechnologies and innovative treatments resulting from rigorous preclinical studies that have been conducted during the last 15 years in rodent and non-human primate models. These developments have led to breakthroughs for the treatment of paraplegia, tetraplegia, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and traumatic brain injuries.
Mr. William Pralong M.D. in Basic Medicine, Pharmacology and Biophysics, Emeritus Professor at EPFL, provides an 8+ year track record in ethical and regulatory assessments of medical projects demonstrated in his leading roles of Vice-President of the Cantonal Ethical Committee for the Research on Human Being in Switzerland (CER-VD) and in his role of EPFL Delegate for Quality Assurance and Accreditation. Moreover, he is also an acting member of the council of the Institute of Health Law’s regulation at the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland. Currently Mr. Pralong is working as part-time Chief Scientific Officer for Legacy Healthcare which is developing safer drugs to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases in fragile patients.
General recommended lectures
1. EC - CORDIS Results Pack Ethics and Integrity in Research – Building a culture of trust and excellence, May 2024.
https://cordis.europa.eu/article/id/450170-ethics-and-integrity-building-bridges-for-trust-and-excellence-in-research-and-innovation
2. COMMON HUMAN RIGHTS CHALLENGES RAISED BY DIFFERENT APPLICATIONS OF NEUROTECHNOLOGIES IN THE BIOMEDICAL FIELD.
Report commissioned by the Committee on Bioethics (DH-BIO) of the Council of Europe, Ienca M., 2021.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/356412675_COMMON_HUMAN_RIGHTS_CHALLENGES_RAISED_BY_DIFFERENT_APPLICATIONS_OF_NEUROTECHNOLOGIES_IN_THE_BIOMEDICAL_FIELD/citation/download
Specialized recommended lectures
3. Neuroethics and brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), Eran Klein et al. Brain-Computer Interfaces, 2016, 3(3), 123–125.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/2326263X.2016.1210989?needAccess=true
4. Four ethical priorities for neurotechnologies and AI, Yuste R, et al. Nature. 2017 Nov 8;551(7679):159-163. doi: 10.1038/551159a
https://www.nature.com/articles/551159a
5. Understanding the Ethical Issues of Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs): A Blessing or the Beginning of a Dystopian Future? Livanis E, et al., 2024,Cureus, 14;16(4):e58243. doi: 10.7759/cureus.58243
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11091939/pdf/cureus-0016-00000058243.pdf
Mr. William Pralong M.D. in Basic Medicine, Pharmacology and Biophysics, Emeritus Professor at EPFL, provides an 8+ year track record in ethical and regulatory assessments of medical projects demonstrated in his leading roles of Vice-President of the Cantonal Ethical Committee for the Research on Human Being in Switzerland (CER-VD) and in his role of EPFL Delegate for Quality Assurance and Accreditation. Moreover, he is also an acting member of the council of the Institute of Health Law’s regulation at the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland. Currently Mr. Pralong is working as part-time Chief Scientific Officer for Legacy Healthcare which is developing safer drugs to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases in fragile patients.
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