DALLAS, TX--(Marketwired - December 10, 2015) - MicroTransponder, Inc., (www.microtransponder.com) a privately-held medical device company, is pleased to announce that its successful stroke rehabilitation clinical trial has been published in the prestigious academic journal Stroke. The manuscript, titled "Safety, Feasibility and Efficacy of Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) Paired with Arm Rehabilitation Following Ischemic Stroke" reports clinical results from a paired VNS therapy for stroke patients with significantly reduced upper limb mobility. This condition can incapacitate the patient and impede the ability to perform daily tasks required for independent living. Stroke is a peer-reviewed academic journal that is published monthly by the American Heart Association.
The VNS stroke trial was conducted at two stroke centers in the United Kingdom. The principal investigator for the study, Dr. Jesse Dawson from Glasgow University, said, "We saw dramatic improvements in our patients over the 6-week treatment period after using the paired VNS therapy. Numerous patients were able to resume daily activities like driving, swimming, grocery shopping, cooking, and taking care of young children. What was particularly encouraging is that these results were obtained by chronic stroke patients who, on average, had their strokes over 1.8 years ago. This is very difficult patient group to treat."
Based on the successful trial results, MicroTransponder is conducting a 20-patient follow up study. The initial sites will be in Dallas, Texas, Houston, Texas, Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Glasgow, UK. Enrollment is now open and the sites are seeking stroke patients who have recently had a stroke and are still experiencing upper limb movement limitations, although they must still have some movement in their limb. More information is available at www.vnsstroketrial.com.
The Vivistim® System has been developed to treat stroke patients that experience upper limb deficit following their stroke. It consists of a small implanted battery and wires that internally connect to the vagus nerve in the neck. During the rehabilitative therapy, the patient receives a small amount of neurostimulation to the vagus nerve to strengthen the neural pathways in the brain. This paired treatment method is based on years of neuroscience research published in peer-reviewed academic journals. Vagus nerve stimulation has been utilized by 100,000 patients over the past 21 years to control their epilepsy. More information can be found on www.MicroTransponder.com.
The Company also announced that it had closed a $5.5 Million round of funding that was led by Green Park & Golf Ventures in order to commercialize MicroTransponder's stroke and tinnitus therapy in Europe in 2016 and complete additional clinical studies. The $5.5 Million round of funding was led by Texas based Green Park & Golf Ventures, who also led the last round of financing. This round included investment from both existing investors, including the UT Horizon fund, as well as new investors. "We saw great clinical progress in the past two years at MicroTransponder," stated Dr. Clay Heighten, partner at Green Park & Golf Ventures. "We think that both the stroke and the tinnitus therapies have a large potential market, due to the significant numbers of patients whose lives are severely disrupted by these conditions and the lack of sufficient treatment options."
The publication of our stroke clinical trial in Stroke is an honor for MicroTransponder. Frank McEachern, CEO of MicroTransponder, states, "We appreciate the outpouring of support and recognition we have received from the clinicians in the stroke community. Most stroke related innovation is focused solely on acute care and the stroke community is eager for alternatives for their chronic stroke patients with motor deficits, especially for those patients who may have had their strokes years ago. Our Vivistim® therapy offers our patients the opportunity to return to free independent living and reduce or eliminate the constant care they currently require, often from their spouse or adult child."
About MicroTransponder, Inc.
MicroTransponder Inc. (www.microtransponder.com) is a medical device development company with a strong neuroscience research focus. The Company's mission is to restore freedom and dignity for patients suffering from neurological disease. An experienced team of scientists and engineers has developed and continue to expand neurostimulation programs to treat various forms of neurological diseases, including post stroke motor rehabilitation and tinnitus. MicroTransponder has a substantial neurostimulation focused R&D program, which is able to quickly translate scientific discoveries into clinical therapies.
CAUTION -- Investigational device. Limited by Federal law to investigational use.
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Contact Information:
Contact
Jordan Curnes
jordan@microtransponder.com
www.microtransponder.com
