REX in the treatment of stroke and brain trauma in Australia

Publisher:Maxhealth  DATE:2016/10/29

October 24, 2016: Rex Bionics Plc (AIM: RXB) is pleased to announce that a new clinical rehabilitation study for stroke and brain trauma patients will be launched.

The study was carried out by the Neurological Rehabilitation Center (AIN) of Newcastle University in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, and supported by the Newcastle Permanent Charity Foundation and Rex Bionics. The study has been approved by the Hunter New England Ethics Committee for Human Research (No. 16/08/17/4.06) and will be carried out in accordance with the standards of the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council.

The study will recruit volunteers from Henderson District, New South Wales, who have been suffering from stroke or brain injury for more than three months and have difficulty standing and walking. Volunteers will receive REX rehabilitation twice a week for 12 weeks, including family training programs. The functional and neurological responses of volunteers to treatment were examined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
 

More than a third of survivors of stroke or traumatic brain injury need help in walking, and some patients may lose the ability to stand independently for life. This affects the long-term health of patients, and also reduces their ability to participate in rehabilitation and social, work and recreational activities.

In Australia, more than 420,000 people are affected by stroke, of which 30% are of working age. 65% of stroke patients are disabled and unable to complete their daily life without support. In 2012, Australia's total financial expenditure on stroke was about A$5 billion.

Trish Leonard, founder of AIN, commented that self-supporting REX exoskeleton devices provide tremendous rehabilitation opportunities for patients with stroke or other brain injuries by helping them bear weight. We are very excited to be able to participate in the research of REX, robot training and rehabilitation as a neurorehabilitation tool.

 Crispin Simon, CEO of Rex Bionics, also said: "Congratulations to AIN and their partners for being the first clinical research group to treat stroke and brain injury with REX! It is heartening to think that REX may improve the functionality of stroke patients and help them improve their severely affected quality of life.