February 2026 issue
February 28, 2026 | The market for stroke rehabilitation continues to advance as existing players and new entrants offer novel therapeutic approaches and pursue commercial development. There appears to be room in this space for vendors of both implanted and noninvasive neurotech therapies.
Earlier this month, CorTec GmbH, a European manufacturer of active implantable medical technologies, announced the successful second implantation of its brain implant, called the Brain Interchange, in an FDA-approved clinical trial involving stroke patients at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, WA. The implantation follows encouraging neurological gains observed in the study’s first participant, whose rehabilitation progress has strengthened confidence in CorTec’s fully implantable platform for stroke recovery. This represents a milestone in the joint effort to evaluate CorTec’s fully implantable closed-loop BCI platform for therapeutic applications in neurological disorders.
Led by principal investigator Jeffrey Ojemann, from the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle and co PI Steven Cramer from UCLA, the trial gathers initial safety data and evaluates whether direct cortical electrical stimulation can enhance upper-limb motor recovery in stroke patients.
“The procedure went smoothly, and the participant is recovering as expected,” said Martin Schuettler, CTO of CorTec. “Having supported the implantation of our BCI system on site for a second time, it is inspiring to see how seamlessly our teams at CorTec and UW Medicine work together.”
Ojemann, vice chair and professor of neurological surgery at UW commented: “We are very encouraged by the outcome of this second implantation and pleased with the participant’s steady recovery. The notable rehabilitation progress and meaningful neurological gains observed in our first study participant using CorTec’s BCI system has led us to this next phase. Each procedure helps us refine safe clinical practices for this emerging neurotechnology and explore its potential to improve outcomes for patients in the future.”
“This second implantation is a milestone for our technology and the progress of our clinical program,” said Frank Desiere, CEO of CorTec. “More importantly, it brings us closer to realizing the potential of a new class of neurotherapeutic solutions that could meaningfully improve outcomes for patients with neurological conditions and lays the groundwork for the next phase of clinical and technology development.”
Another vendor, Van Nuys, CA-based Kandu, Inc., announced results from the first randomized controlled trial evaluating an FDA-cleared, noninvasive BCI therapy in chronic stroke survivors. The findings, presented this month at the International Stroke Conference 2026 in New Orleans, showed that patients using the company’s IpsiHand system achieved significantly greater improvements in upper extremity motor function than those participating in a home exercise program, with a number needed to treat of 2.2 for one patient to achieve a clinically meaningful functional benefit.
The results were presented by Eric Leuthardt, during an oral abstract that detailed outcomes from a post-market randomized controlled study evaluating the clinical performance of IpsiHand. The device received FDA clearance in 2021 as a breakthrough-designated, de novo 510(k) device for stroke rehabilitation.
The study compared at-home BCI-enabled therapy using IpsiHand with a conventional at-home exercise program. Patients were directed to complete their assigned therapy five times per week over a 12-week period. Participants were at least six months post-stroke with persistent upper extremity hemiparesis or hemiplegia, with no upper or lower limits on baseline upper extremity Fugl-Meyer scores. The study enrollment was stopped early for efficacy following a planned interim analysis. A total of 62 participants, with a mean time since stroke of 5.4 years, were included in the primary analysis (37 BCI therapy; 25 control).
Patients treated with BCI therapy showed a mean improvement of 6.0 points on the UEFM scale, compared to an improvement of 1.5 points in the control group, representing a 4.5-point treatment advantage. Importantly, the average improvement in the BCI group exceeded the minimal clinically important difference of 5.25, indicating functional gains considered meaningful to patients. More than half of patients receiving BCI therapy achieved a clinically meaningful response, compared to 9.6% of patients in the control group.
Stroke often disrupts contralateral motor pathways; however, ipsilateral motor intent signals from the unaffected hemisphere may persist. “This randomized trial shows that engaging preserved ipsilateral neural signals through a noninvasive brain-computer interface can drive meaningful motor recovery in chronic stroke,” said Leuthardt, CSO and principal investigator of the study.
“This data fundamentally challenges the long-standing belief that recovery after stroke permanently plateaus after the first few months,” said Leo Petrossian, CEO of Kandu, Inc. “For decades, patients living with chronic stroke have been told that what they regain early on is all they can expect. This randomized trial shows that with the right technology—delivered at home, without the burden of frequent clinic visits—meaningful recovery is still possible years after stroke.”
Meanwhile, an early entrant in the stroke neurorehabilitation market, MicroTransponder Inc., announced that it has changed its corporate name to Mobia Medical, Inc. The company develops and markets the Vivistim paired VNS system for chronic ischemic stroke recovery in survivors with moderate-to-severe upper limb impairment.
Derived from the word “mobility,” the new name reflects the company’s commitment to redefining stroke recovery and addressing the long-standing unmet need faced by millions of stroke survivors living with chronic functional impairment. Mobia captures the company’s focus on advancing recovery beyond acute stroke care and enabling patients to achieve meaningful gains in movement, independence and quality of life.
The company’s leadership team, business operations and strategic focus remain unchanged, and the Vivistim paired VNS system will continue to be marketed under its existing name.
“Since the company’s founding, our goal has been to change what is possible for stroke survivors, and today marks an important inflection in that journey,” said Richard Foust, president and CEO of Mobia. “The name Mobia reflects our focus on establishing a new standard of care for stroke survivors who have historically had few effective options. Built on a strong foundation in chronic ischemic stroke with clinically validated technology, Mobia will continue its momentum with a focus on expanding and shaping the future of recovery.”
Another early developer of implantable stroke therapies, Enspire DBS Therapy, last month announced a $10.3 million financing round for its DBS-enabled stroke therapy.
A team from Fundan University in China recently described another approach to stroke neurorehabilitation. Their system, called the Magnetic NeuroRing, combines EEG sensing with theta-burst transcranial magnetic stimulation in a noninvasive headset.
