Vivistim clinical trial team won the 2022 Paul Dudley White International Scholar Award for submitting the highest-ranked abstract from the United Kingdom to the American Heart Association’s International Stroke Conference 2022, according to MicroTransponder®, Inc.
The manufacturer of the FDA-approved Vivistim® Paired VNS™ System, MicroTransponder is a medical device company that develops solutions to restore independence and dignity for people suffering from neurological conditions that impair sensory and motor function.
Named for Dr. Paul Dudley White, a co-founder of the American Heart Association, the prestigious award reflects White’s vision for global excellence in cardiovascular science and medicine. The American Heart Association recognized the winning researchers during its International Stroke Conference 2022, held in New Orleans, La., February 9-11.
“It’s truly a distinguished honor for the American Heart Association to recognize how Vivistim Paired VNS Therapy can help stroke survivors regain their independence,” said Richard Foust, chief executive officer of MicroTransponder. “We’re extremely grateful for our clinical trial team and the esteemed institutions and healthcare organizations they represent. They’re now among the pantheon of cardiovascular and neuroscience gamechangers who have also won this award.
The winning abstract, “Vagus Nerve Stimulation Paired Rehabilitation for Upper Limb Motor Function After Ischemic Stroke: Sub-group Analysis of the Randomized, Blinded, Pivotal, VNS-Rehab Device Trial,” reported that vagus nerve stimulation utilizing the Vivistim System concurrently with rehabilitation exercises generates two to three times more hand and arm function than conventional rehabilitation therapy alone for survivors of ischemic stroke.
Data from the abstract were initially published in a 2021 peer-reviewed article in The Lancet that chronicled results from the Vivistim clinical trial team’s 108-person, multicenter, triple-blinded, randomized controlled pivotal trial.
Led by Jesse Dawson, MD, University of Glasgow, in Glasgow, United Kingdom, the Vivistim clinical trial team includes:
- Jen Alexander, University of Glasgow
- Anand Dixit, MD, The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals
- Arshad Majid, MD, The University of Sheffield
- Jessica Redgrave, MD, The University of Sheffield
- Duncan Turner, Ph.D., University of East London
- Steven L. Wolf, Ph.D., PT, FAPTA, FAHA, FASNR, Emory University School of Medicine
- Rushna Ali, MD, Spectrum Health
- Benjamin Brown, MD, Oschner Health
- Steven C. Cramer, MD, UCLA Health
- Lou DeMark, PT, DPT, NCS, Brooks Rehabilitation
- Wuwei Feng, MD, FAHA, Duke Health
- Gerard E. Francisco, MD, University of Texas Health Science Center of Houston
- Steven Kautz, Ph.D., Medical University of South Carolina
- Charles Liu, MD, Ph.D., Keck School of Medicine of USC
- Teresa Jacobson Kimberley, Ph.D., PT, FAPTA, MGH Institute of Health Professions
- Michael Wayne O’Dell, MD, Weill Cornell Medical College
- Navzer Engineer, MD, Ph.D., MicroTransponder
- David Pierce, MicroTransponder
- Cecilia Prudente, Ph.D., PT, MicroTransponder
- Brent Tarver, MicroTransponder
In addition to the 2022 Paul Dudley White International Scholar Award, research supporting the effectiveness of the Vivistim Paired VNS System garnered MicroTransponder the 2021 Neurotech Reports Gold Electrode Award for best new product. Members of the clinical trial team also recently presented at the American Physical Therapy Association’s 2022 Combined Sections Meeting.
This increased awareness of the life-changing outcomes Vivistim produces for stroke survivors is occurring while clinical teams identify potential candidates for the Vivistim System. The first commercial implantation of Vivistim is expected in the first quarter of 2022. Rehabilitation specialists, physiatrists, neurosurgeons and other healthcare professionals can view the winning abstract at AHAJournals.org or visit Vivistim.com to assess if their patients meet the criteria for the Vivistim System.