Eindhoven, the Netherlands-based Onward designed its ARC-IM stimulation system to deliver targeted, programmed therapy to the spinal cord. It aims to restore movement and other functions after spinal cord injury.
The study, published in Nature Medicine, evaluated a patient living with Parkinson’s for nearly three decades. The subject has a severe gait disorder that failed to respond to conventional therapies.
In a press release issued by Switzerland’s Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), the subject said: “I could hardly walk without frequent falls, several times a day. In certain situations, like getting into an elevator, I would stomp, freeze as they say.”
Researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) and CHUV considered the possibility of Onward ARC therapy addressing common side effects of Parkinson’s that negatively impact mobility. They began investigating in 2021, collaborating with Dr. Erwan Bezard of France’s National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM).
After introducing ARC therapy and a few weeks of rehabilitation, the patient proved able to walk without previously noticeable gait interruptions. Today, he uses ARC therapy eight hours per day, according to Onward. The subject said he turns on the stimulation in the morning, then turns it off in the evening.
Throughout the day, the therapy allows him to walk better and stabilize himself, he added. Stairs no longer scare him, he said, and he walks around six kilometers every Sunday.
“The breakthrough reported in Nature Medicine shows the remarkable potential to use the same technology platform and therapy we are developing for spinal cord injury to also address mobility challenges stemming from Parkinson’s disease,” said Dave Marver, CEO of Onward.
More funding to research the Onward therapy
Onward research partner NeuroRestore received a $1 million grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF). The funding aids in the investigation of the effect of ARC therapy in six additional patients with Parkinson’s disease.
According to Onward, the study will help it determine whether to conduct additional clinical trials and potentially commercialize the therapy for people with Parkinson’s.
“It is impressive to see that by electrically stimulating the spinal cord the same way we have done in paraplegic patients, we may be able to address gait disorders due to Parkinson’s disease,” said neurosurgeon Jocelyne Bloch, co-director with Professor G. Courtine of NeuroRestore.
Read next: How Onward uses spinal cord stimulation — and perhaps BCI — to restore movement
