Dr. Jocelyne Bloch, chief of neurosurgery at Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) in Switzerland, performed the procedure. It comes nearly two years after the first-in-human use of the ARC-IM thoracic lead in May 2023.
The Onward thoracic lead goes into the thoracic region of the spinal cord. The company plans to use it as part of its ARC-IM system in a pivotal study to address blood pressure instability after spinal cord injury (SCI). Onward’s new ARC-IM lumbar lead is designed for placement in the lumbar region. The company called it the optimal location for therapies targeting the restoration of standing, stepping and lower limb mobility after SCI.
Onward plans to use the lumbar lead in ongoing clinical feasibility studies with and without an implanted brain-computer interface (BCI). The company also has ongoing work looking at ARC-IM’s potential to help people with Parkinson’s disease.
“I am encouraged by this initial experience with the ARC-IM lumbar lead,” said Dr. Bloch. “The lead’s design and maneuverability facilitated secure and precise placement in the lumbar region of the spinal cord. Access to Onward’s optimized, purpose-designed lead should enable us to improve the effectiveness of the breakthrough therapies we are currently studying.”
