We are a team of scientists, engineers, and physicians, collectively driven to create therapies that change lives. We understand the challenges of those living with spinal cord injury. We do not overpromise. We are here for the highs, lows, and everything in between.
We are working to enable people with spinal cord injury to move again, aided by ARC Therapy™ – targeted, programmed stimulation of the spinal cord.
In addition to restoring movement, we have observed other potential benefits from spinal cord stimulation that we may explore such as improved bladder control, sexual function, and blood pressure regulation.
Investigational device, not available for commercial use
Meet Co-Founders Jocelyne Bloch and G. Courtine.
ONWARD benefits from an academic research partnership with .NeuroRestore, a collaboration between the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) and Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV). We have also exclusively licensed intellectual property developed at other leading global neuroscience research institutions, such as the University of Louisville and Caltech.
Clinical results may vary.
Investigational device, not available for commercial use.
ARCEX is our external, non-invasive platform consisting of a stimulator and wireless programmer. We have been granted Breakthrough Device Designation status from the FDA for the use of the ARCEX platform to improve upper and lower limb function, for bladder control and blood pressure regulation and for alleviation of spasticity in people with spinal cord injury.
In 2022, the first large-scale clinical study of non-invasive spinal cord stimulation technology, called Up-LIFT, achieved its primary safety and effectiveness endpoints of improvement in upper extremity strength and function after a spinal cord injury. We are preparing regulatory submissions for the U.S. and Europe, with the expectation that this therapy may be approved for commercialization in late 2023.
ARCIM is our implantable platform, consisting of a neurostimulator (IPG) and lead placed near the spinal cord. ARCIM is controlled by wearable components and a smartwatch. The STIMO study demonstrated the ability of this therapy to enable long-paralyzed people to stand and walk again with little or no assistance. We received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for ARCIM in 2020 to restore leg motor function in people with spinal cord injury. Then in 2021, for the use of the system to normalize blood pressure and provide trunk stability, and in 2022 for bladder control. We expect to begin pivotal trials for these three indications within 24 months.
Other potential indications we may explore for ARCIM include reduced spasticity, improved sexual function and bowel control, BCI, Parkinson’s mobility and gait.
External system for
non-invasive, programmed stimulation of the spinal cord
Implantable platform for direct, programmed stimulation of the spinal cord
We will share your information with our clinical research partners who will evaluate your candidacy for study participation.
Register with UsInvestigational device, not available for commercial use.
°The FDA has awarded Breakthrough Device Designation for a system supporting the recovery of leg motor functions and neurological controls through the use of ARC Therapy in adults with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) who have a lesion both higher than vertebrae and spinal cord neurological levels T11 with preserved conus medullaris, and whose SCI or spinal cord compression is neither related to oncological causes nor to a neurodegenerative disease.
°The FDA has awarded Breakthrough Device Designation for a system to improve or restore upper extremity sensory and motor function in people with chronic neurological deficit resulting from incomplete spinal cord injury. It is intended to be used in conjunction with physical therapy at the hospital and rehabilitation therapy clinic.
The Up-LIFT pivotal study evaluated the safety and effectiveness of non-invasive electrical spinal cord stimulation (ARCEX Therapy) to improve upper extremity strength and function in people with spinal cord injury. The clinical study enrolled 65 people at 14 leading SCI centers in the U.S, Europe, and Canada, reporting positive topline results.
Wings for Life is a leading spinal cord injury non-profit organization headquartered in Austria with offices in the United Kingdom and the United States. It funds spinal cord injury research around the globe including the first STIMO trial, an important study that established the clinical feasibility for ARC Therapy to enable people with spinal cord injury to walk again. The Wings for Life commitment to future STIMO trials and other promising therapeutics continues in order to accelerate important developments in neurorestorative approaches for spinal cord injury.
The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation is an ONWARD partner and shareholder. The Reeve Foundation is the premier U.S. non-profit organization dedicated to advancing innovative research and improving quality of life for individuals and families impacted by paralysis. The Reeve Foundation’s mission is reflected in its dual purpose – “Today’s Care. Tomorrow’s Cure.” – providing a continuum of hope for individuals living with paralysis worldwide.
Spinal Research (The International Spinal Research Trust) is an ONWARD partner and shareholder. It is the UK's leading medical research charity funding the discovery and development of effective treatments for chronic spinal cord injury. During the last 40 years, it has funded over 140 international research projects which have achieved a number of important advances in the field of spinal cord injury.
ONWARD is headquartered in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. It maintains a Science and Engineering Center in Lausanne, Switzerland, and has a growing U.S. presence in Boston, Massachusetts. For additional information about the company, please visit ONWD.com. To access our 2023 Financial Calendar, please visit IR.ONWD.com.
We are backed by many of the leading European life sciences venture capital investors:
We are looking for talented and committed people who want to work in an innovative, mission-driven environment creating technologies and therapies that make a difference. Check out our list of open positions in the US and Europe.
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