Stroke, brain injury clinical trial using Rex Bionic's tech to start in Australia

Rex Bionics has started a new clinical trial to treat patients suffering from stroke or brain injury using its REX robot-assisted physiotherapy technology, to be carried out by the Australian Institute of Neurorehabilitation, the first clinical group to establish a trial using REX.

AIN along with the University of Newcastle in New South Wales, who are being supported by the Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation and Rex Bionics, received ethics clearance through the Hunter New England Human Research Ethics Committee.

The trial, which will be carried out using the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia’s standards, will recruit volunteers from the Hunter region in New South Wales who have had a stroke or head injury more than three months ago and who have difficulty standing and walking.

Volunteers will be treated twice a week for twelve weeks and the REX treatment will be accompanied with exercises at home, with MRI exams to keep track of the neurological response to the treatment.

AIN founder Trish Leonard said: "In REX's self-supporting exoskeleton we see the potential to provide greater opportunities for weight bearing exercises to people with stroke and other acquired brain injuries. We are excited to be involved in ground breaking research to evaluate REX's robotic exercise therapy as a neuro-rehabilitation tool"

The company said that over a third of the people who survive a stroke or a head injury will need help walking and some will never regain the ability to stand without help and this affects the patient's ability to participate in rehabilitation, their long-term health, and the ability to socialise, do activities and work.

More than 420,000 people in Australia are living with the effects of stroke and 30% of these people are of working age, while the total costs of a stroke in the country were about AU$5bn in 2012.