Finnish Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Research Using Nexstim SmartFocus Technology Receives Significant Funding from Wings for Life Foundation

Press Release, Helsinki, 26 June 2019 at 2.15 pm (EET)

Finnish Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Research Using Nexstim SmartFocus^TM Technology Receives Significant Funding from Wings for Life Foundation

Nexstim Plc (NXTMH:HEX, NXTMS:STO) ("Nexstim" or "Company") - the targeted neuromodulation company developing and marketing navigated, personalised and non-invasive brain stimulation systems for diagnostics and therapy - today announces that Helsinki University Hospital in Finland has received significant funding from the renowned Wings for Life Foundation to continue its research into spinal cord injury rehabilitation using Nexstim’s SmartFocus^TM technology.

Wings for Life specifically supports international research focused on finding new treatment methods for spinal cord injury patients whose rehabilitation is known to be highly challenging.

The research group at the BioMag laboratory at Helsinki University Hospital is conducting a study on a new rehabilitation treatment for patients who are paralysed as a result of a spinal cord injury.  The studied treatment combines transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) with simultaneous peripheral nerve stimulation.  The group will use Nexstim’s NBS system for the TMS in the study.

The research group, led by Dr. Anastasia Shulga, has already generated promising preliminary results in spinal cord injury rehabilitation using Nexstim’s NBS system. These results have been published in several well-known scientific journals ^{1, 2)}.  

The funding from Wings for Life for the Helsinki University Hospital group will be for an initial 2-year period with a possible 1-year extension. This new funding will allow the researchers to conduct an extensive clinical study that will recruit a larger number of patients paralyzed due to spinal cord injuries who are at the subacute stage.

Nexstim’s NBS system, using the unique SmartFocus^TM TMS technology, is the only FDA cleared and CE marked navigated TMS system for pre-surgical mapping of the speech and motor cortices of the brain. Helsinki University Hospital is utilizing the NBS System for chronic spinal cord injury therapy as a research utility only as the NBS has not yet been approved for this therapeutic indication.

Martin Jamieson, CEO of Nexstim, commented: "We are pleased that Helsinki University Hospital will be able to continue this important research work designed to open up new opportunities to rehabilitate patients with spinal cord injury. The funding from the renowned Wings for Life foundation highlights not only the quality of the work of this talented research group led by Dr. Shulga, but also the multiple potential indications for our SmartFocus ^TM technology, including those that are currently seen to be almost untreatable.”

¹⁾ Shulga A. et al. Long-term paired associative stimulation can restore voluntary control over paralyzed muscles in incomplete chronic spinal cord injury patients. Spinal Cord Series and Cases 2016: 2. Article number: 16016.
²⁾ Tomacheva A. et al. Long-Term Paired Associative Stimulation Enhances Motor Output of the Tetraplegic Hand, JOURNAL OF NEUROTRAUMA 34:2668–2674 (September 15, 2017) Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. DOI: 10.1089/neu.2017.4996

Further information is available on the website www.nexstim.com or by contacting:

Nexstim                                              
Martin Jamieson, Chairman and CEO
+44 771 516 3942
martin.jamieson@nexstim.com

Citigate Dewe Rogerson            
David Dible/Shabnam Bashir/ Sylvie Berrebi
+44 (0)207 2822949 
david.dible@citigatedewerogerson.com

About Nexstim Plc

Nexstim is a medical technology company focused on the development and commercialization of its world-leading SmartFocusTM TMS technology, a non-invasive brain stimulation system for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). The Company’s proprietary Navigated Brain Therapy (NBT®) system, a highly sophisticated 3D navigation, is the only personalised, navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) approach providing accurate targeting of the TMS to the specific area of the brain associated with MDD.

Nexstim’s NBT® system has been launched in the US for the treatment of MDD following clearance from the FDA for marketing and commercial distribution for this indication. The NBT® system is CE marked in Europe for the treatment of major depression and chronic neuropathic pain.

In addition, Nexstim is commercialising its Navigated Brain Stimulation (NBS) system for diagnostic applications, based on the same technology. The NBS system is the only FDA cleared and CE marked navigated TMS system for pre-surgical mapping of the speech and motor cortices of the brain. Nexstim shares are listed on the Nasdaq First North Finland and Nasdaq First North Sweden.

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