The University of Arkansas Institute for Integrative & Innovative Research (I³R) has been awarded a $4.9 million grant from the US Department of Defense to expand a clinical trial for an innovative neural-enabled prosthesis currently occurring at the university campus. Walter Reed National Military Medical Center will also join the study as an additional clinical trial site.
The addition of Walter Reed Medical Center as a second site is a significant milestone in the institute’s existing clinical trial as it grows from a simple single-site clinical trial to a more complex multi-site clinical trial. Moreover, the collaboration marks a significant advancement in the institute’s work as Walter Reed houses one of the United States’ premier clinics for patients with amputations and is one of just three military hospitals that treat traumatic upper-limb amputations.
“We’re thrilled to receive such a significant grant award under the Joint Warfighter Medical Research Program for continued development and evaluation of an advanced prosthetic device as a potential medical solution that restores meaningful sense of touch to individuals with upper-limb amputations,” said Ranu Jung, PhD, associate vice chancellor and I³R executive director. “We’re honored to collaborate with Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to extend this life-changing innovation to our service men and women who have sustained traumatic upper-limb injuries in service to our country.”
The ongoing clinical trial, titled Neural Enabled Prosthesis for Upper Limb Amputees, is testing an innovative prosthetic hand system approved by the Food and Drug Administration for investigation. The system has the potential to deliver meaningful sensations of touch, grip force, and hand opening to the user.
To date, two clinical trial participants have received the groundbreaking device. The first study participant received his device in 2018, when the project was based at Florida International University. The second occurred in Arkansas in 2023 through an I³R-led collaboration with University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Snell Prosthetics and Orthotics.
Editor’s note: This story was adapted from materials provided by the University of Arkansas.
