Innovations from ICORD intellectual property have led to major advancements improving the lives of people with spinal cord injuries
ONWARD Medical, a leading neurotechnology company from the Netherlands pioneering therapies for people with spinal cord injuries (SCI), has shared landmark findings from a multi-year study based on UBC-born research. The study demonstrated immediate improvements in blood pressure stability and reduced hypotensive symptoms in people living with spinal cord injuries, marking a major advancement for science and people living with SCI.
Blood pressure instability: Addressing a critical unmet need
People living with spinal cord injuries often experience blood pressure instability triggered by simple movements such as standing or changing position, as well as chronically low blood pressure in response to everyday stimuli most of us take for granted. This added complication can lead to debilitating and even life-threatening symptoms that impede a patient's neurological recovery, overall health, and quality of life. Existing treatments include compression garments and medications, if a formal diagnosis and treatment plan is even made.
Through ONWARD’s ARC-IM System, an implanted, neuromodulation platform that delivers targeted and personalized spinal cord stimulation to the wearer, participants in a multi-year clinical study experienced immediate and robust increases in blood pressure, as well as reduced frequency and severity of hypotensive symptoms. These improvements led to greater participation in rehabilitation and daily activities, representing meaningful gains in independence and well-being.
Translating UBC research into breakthrough therapies
The first of its kind, the ONWARD ARC device is based on research from the lab of UBC’s Dr. Andrei Krassioukov at ICORD (International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries) a spinal cord injury research centre of the UBC Faculty of Medicine and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute. The 2016 invention was bundled with other intellectual property and licensed in 2020 into the ONWARD device, with blood pressure control forming a central focus of both the research and this clinical success.
The device’s technology originated largely from the work of then-postdoctoral fellow Dr. Aaron Phillips, who now serves on ONWARD’s advisory council supporting their upcoming pivotal trial happening later this year and has since licensed additional patents to the company. Dr. Phillips co-led the original publications announcing the success of these studies, highlighting that a major portion of the trials took place in Canada (Calgary specifically) underscoring the strong Canadian contribution to the device’s successes.
ICORD is a world-leading health research centre dedicated to advancing knowledge and care for people with spinal cord injuries, from lab-based cellular research to rehabilitation and recovery. Dr. Krassioukov’s research is specifically devoted to autonomic dysreflexia (AD), a condition resulting from spinal cord injury at or above the T6 level. AD is characterized by sudden, potentially life-threatening spikes in blood pressure triggered by stimuli below the injury site. Without timely recognition and management, AD can lead to severe and even fatal complications demonstrating the importance of this work and research.
Dr. Krassioukov is currently a clinical consultant for ONWARD and their upcoming trial evaluating effects of implantable spinal cord stimulation on orthostatic hypotension in individuals with SCI. He shares that Vancouver will be a site for this upcoming multicentre trial within his and ICORD Director Dr. Brian Kwon’s labs.
Building on his foundational research with Dr. Krassioukov at UBC, Dr. Phillips established his laboratory at the University of Calgary in 2017. There, as Director of the RESTORE Network, he leads the multi-million-dollar platform of over 30 investigators focused on developing translational technologies for neurological injury. On the recent findings with ONWARD, Dr. Phillips shares:
“These results are a significant breakthrough for managing blood pressure instability, one of the key recovery targets after spinal cord injury.”
From discovery to impact through technology transfer
Moving research into the world is a vital outcome of the university’s role as a global learning and research institution. Through Innovation UBC’s Inventions and Licensing team, we help UBC researchers protect and commercialize high-potential discoveries, aiming to maximize societal and economic impact.
Each year, our team rigorously assesses approximately 150 technology disclosures while managing a portfolio of over 500 active licenses. This work reflects the university’s deep commitment to safeguarding researchers’ intellectual property and fostering innovation through partnerships, collaborations, and commercialization opportunities to see global impact.
Regarding the ONWARD device, Innovation UBC Senior Technology Transfer Manager, Brad Wheeler, was noted as ‘instrumental’ by both Dr. Krassioukov and Dr. Phillips in developing and progressing the idea of the device and IP for blood pressure regulation.
“Technology transfer is a key approach for groundbreaking discoveries to move beyond the university and into the world, where they can create real impact. ONWARD’s ARC device is proof of that, leveraging the work of UBC researchers to deliver profound outcomes for people with spinal cord injuries.”
- Brad Wheeler, Senior Technology Transfer Manager, Innovation UBC
There are many ways research can move into the world to create impact. This achievement demonstrates the power of collaboration and technology transfer, protecting UBC researchers’ inventions while delivering tangible benefits to those who need them most.
