Trials of BrainQ technology, which could be a “game changer” in the rehabilitation of stroke patients, are now underway.
BrainQ has enrolled the first patient into its pivotal EMAGINE trial, which will evaluate its electromagnetic field treatment in supporting the recovery of people from ischemic stroke.
The EMAGINE Stroke Recovery Trial provides a remote and decentralised care model which will enrol 150 people between four and ten days following a stroke across up to 19 academic sites across the United States.
It comes following the success of BrainQ’s pilot trial, which saw 77 per cent of patients reporting either no symptoms or minor symptoms following its therapy, with no significant disability, scoring one or even zero on the modified Rankin Scale (mRS), the gold standard for measuring global disability.
Additionally, over 90 per cent of people improved by two or more mRS points through the use of BrainQ’s technology.
The EMAGINE study is designed to allow for participants to receive the BQ therapy beginning during acute hospitalisation, and then supporting them into inpatient rehabilitation and community or home settings.
The trial, which will include 45 hour-long sessions over nine weeks, five times a week, will be operated remotely with the assistance of a care giver and will be remotely monitored by a therapist.
Currently, effective treatment options exist primarily in the first few hours following a stroke, and only for around five per cent of survivors.
BrainQ has spoken to NR Times previously about its ambition to extend this window of opportunity for reducing disability from the acute phase to the sub-acute phase, giving significant hope to people living with the effects of stroke.
The BrainQ wearable device
“With one in four adults expected to have a stroke in their lifetime, and few options on the market for reducing disability, this trial has the potential to make a significant impact on the ever-growing population of stroke survivors suffering from long term disability,” said Yotam Drechsler, CEO and co-founder of BrainQ.
“Recruiting the first patient is just the first step to unlocking new opportunities for survivors and helping to meet this huge unmet need.
“We hope to continue strong recruitment for our trial over the next year.”
“Over the past two decades we have made major advances in acute stroke treatment. But still 90 per cent of stroke patients experience long term disability,” said Dr Jeffrey Saver, director of the UCLA Comprehensive Stroke and Vascular Neurology Program, and a co-lead principal investigator for BrainQ’s pivotal trial.
“Advances in recovery are the next frontier for the stroke community.
“Success of this study would be a game-changer for stroke recovery and help pave the way for a new standard of care for stroke.”
“For many years, stroke rehabilitation has lacked novel technologies that change the treatment paradigm for patients,” added Dr Pamela Duncan, professor of neurology at Wake Forest School of Medicine and a co-lead principal investigator of BrainQ’s pivotal trial.
“There is a potential that BrainQ’s therapy, coupled with exercise training commencing within a few days of stroke and continuing for nine weeks, will optimise recovery and reduce stroke disability.”
