The ARC-BCI system acts as a digital bridge, restoring thought-driven movement by reconnecting the brain and body after paralysis. Credit: crystal light/Shutterstock.

ONWARD Medical has acquired an exclusive licence from CEA for the development and commercialisation of the WIMAGINE Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) technology to treat spinal cord injuries.

WIMAGINE BCI isa key component of CEA’s investigational ARC-BCI system that pairs ONWARD ARC-IM Therapy, a spinal cord stimulation therapy, with CEA’s BCI technology to restore thought-driven movement and function in individuals with paralysis.

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Designed by Clinatec, a biomedical research centre developed by CEA, it has seven years of human safety data, and the ARC-IM Therapy has been applied to more than 30 study participants to date.

ONWARD Medical CEO Dave Marver said: “Securing exclusive rights to the WIMAGINE BCI gives us an opportunity to be first to market with a BCI-enabled system to restore thought-driven movement after paralysis.

“Clinatec is a world-renowned biomedical research institute and its BCI is ideal for our applications. We can now develop a truly integrated system that is well suited for the type of study required to gain regulatory approval and bring a BCI-enabled system to market.”

The ARC-BCI system received breakthrough device designation from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in early 2024.

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The system creates a DigitalBridge to resume the communication between the brain and the body. It utilises AI to interpret a person’s brain signals and convert their movement intentions into accurate stimulation commands for the ARC-IM system.

ONWARD Medical implanted an investigational BCI in a human in collaboration with Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne and CEA-Clinatec in 2021.

In September 2023, a second individual was implanted with both ARC-IM Therapy and a WIMAGINE BCI for restoring upper limb function.

A year later, in September 2024, a third individual received an ARC-BCI system implant to restore leg movement after a spinal cord injury. More implants are scheduled shortly.

The ongoing studies are supported by grants from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation and the European Innovation Council.