Hand FunctionNCT03318341
TheraBracelet Phase I
A study testing Real Stimulation in people with Hand Function and Stroke, run by TheraBracelet, Inc. at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This project aims to test a new technology that may improve hand function impaired from a stroke, thereby improving independence and quality of life. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Hand Function, Stroke, Upper Extremity
- What is being tested?
- Real Stimulation
- Type of treatment
- Medical device
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 26 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 9 Jan 2018to 28 Nov 2018
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Age: 18 years or older
- Time since stroke: > 3 months
- Those with at least some movement in the affected upper limb
- Ability to put on the device at home
- Ability to perform the Box and Block Test with a score > 0
Who cannot join
- Comorbidity such as neuropathy, orthopaedic conditions in the hand
- Compromised skin integrity of the hand/wrist.
- Participation in an upper limb rehabilitation program concurrently
- Pregnancy
- A language barrier or cognitive impairment that precludes following
- Individuals whose swelling changes dramatically during the day
- Participant has received Botulinum toxin injection in the past 3 months
- Inability or unwillingness of subject or legal guardian/representative to give informed consent
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina, 29425
About this study
Official title: TheraBracelet Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) - The 1st and Only Wearable to Instantly Improve Hand Function
This project aims to test a new technology that may improve hand function impaired from a stroke, thereby improving independence and quality of life.
Read the detailed description
Post-stroke hand impairment is highly prevalent and severely restricts functional ability and independence. Yet, there is no assistive device to help hand function at home, every day, during activities of daily living. Existing devices such as hand-opening orthoses are expensive, uncomfortable, bulky, and meant for use during short therapy sessions as opposed to during daily living. Thus their impact is limited. Consequently, the development of efficacious and affordable assistive device is of importance. This project addresses this critical gap by providing an innovative patent-pending technology. The "TheraBracelet" is a wristband applying imperceptible vibration to skin. TheraBracelet is efficacious, as it has been shown to immediately improve chronic stroke survivors' touch sensation and hand dexterity in previous studies. TheraBracelet is affordable by using only a low-cost vibrator. TheraBracelet is also translational, because a vibrator strategically placed at the wrist does not interfere with dexterous finger motions, and it is low-risk by involving only imperceptible vibration on skin. These practicalities assure easy adoption in home environment for large impact on sensorimotor impairment. The essential next step, thus the objective of this Phase I project, is to determine the feasibility and safety of using this assistive device all day every day for a month during daily activity. This objective will be accomplished in a double-blinded, randomized, controlled, crossover design study. Feasibility (compliance of using the device everyday) and safety will be assessed for the real vibration condition compared to the sham vibration condition (wearing the device without vibration). The feasibility and safety level comparable to those of wearing a watch and of a comparable FDA-approved device will support viability of TheraBracelet with necessary regulatory approvals. This project is expected to lead to an assistive wristband that increases hand function during activities of daily living for a large number of stroke survivors with hand impairment.
- Conditions
- Hand Function, Stroke, Upper Extremity, Hemiparesis, Cerebrovascular Accident, Stroke Rehabilitation
- Being tested
- Real Stimulation, Sham Stimulation
- Keywords
- physical stimulation, Subliminal stimulation, stroke rehabilitation, upper extremity, paresis, patient safety
- Medical subject headings
- Stroke, Paresis
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Real StimulationDevice
The device applies wrist vibration at a subthreshold (imperceptible) level.
Sham StimulationDevice
The device applies no vibration.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Real then Sham | Other | Participants are instructed to wear the TheraBracelet device on the affected wrist every day for at least 8 hours/day during their daily activity for 1 month. After 2-week washout, participants are again instructed to wear the device on the affected wrist every day for at least 8 hours/day during their daily activity for 1 month. The device applies real stimulation in the first month. The device applies sham stimulation in the second month. The stimulation is imperceptible. Thus, participants do not perceive stimulation in either month. Receives: Device: Real Stimulation; Device: Sham Stimulation |
| Sham then Real | Other | Participants are instructed to wear the TheraBracelet device on the affected wrist every day for at least 8 hours/day during their daily activity for 1 month. After 2-week washout, participants are again instructed to wear the device on the affected wrist every day for at least 8 hours/day during their daily activity for 1 month. The device applies sham stimulation in the first month. The device applies real stimulation in the second month. The stimulation is imperceptible. Thus, participants do not perceive stimulation in either month. Receives: Device: Real Stimulation; Device: Sham Stimulation |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Safety - Occurrence of Device-Related Adverse Events (AE)
Any worsening of hand sensation, dexterity, grip strength, upper limb pain, swelling, spasticity, skin irritation, or any other adverse events (assessed every week) that sustained until the end of the month or occurred at the end of the month.
Measured: Two 1-month durations
Feasibility - User Compliance in Wearing the Device
Measured: Two 1-month durations
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted23 Oct 2017
- Study start9 Jan 2018
- Primary completion22 Oct 2018
- Study completion28 Nov 2018
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, outcome measures and adverse events reported by the sponsor.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Hand FunctionStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Model description
- The study will use a 2×2 crossover design. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the treatment or control condition for the first month, followed by a 2-week washout period and then crossover to the other condition.
- Masking
- Quadruple blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 26 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- TheraBracelet, Inc.
- Sponsor type
- Industry (pharma, biotech, devices)
- Collaborators
- Medical University of South Carolina
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Na Jin Seo, PhD, Principal investigator, Medical University of South Carolina
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03318341
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 1R41HD090792-01A1
- Status last verified
- Apr 2019
- First submitted
- 20 Sep 2017
- Last updated
- 7 May 2019
- Results posted
- Yes, on ClinicalTrials.gov
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- Yes
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Upon request.
Publications
Seo NJ, Enders LR, Fortune A, Cain S, Vatinno AA, Schuster E, Ramakrishnan V, Feng W. Phase I Safety Trial: Extended Daily Peripheral Sensory Stimulation Using a Wrist-Worn Vibrator in Stroke Survivors. Transl Stroke Res. 2020 Apr;11(2):204-213. doi: 10.1007/s12975-019-00724-9. Epub 2019 Aug 23.
PubMed 31444692
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 7 May 2019. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- TheraBracelet Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) - The 1st and Only Wearable to Instantly Improve Hand Function
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03318341
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 1R41HD090792-01A1
- Conditions
- Hand Function, Stroke, Upper Extremity, Hemiparesis, Cerebrovascular Accident, Stroke Rehabilitation
- Keywords
- physical stimulation, Subliminal stimulation, stroke rehabilitation, upper extremity, paresis, patient safety
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 26 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- TheraBracelet, Inc.Industry (pharma, biotech, devices)
- Collaborators
- Medical University of South Carolina
- Study start
- 9 Jan 2018 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 22 Oct 2018 (actual)
- Study completion
- 28 Nov 2018 (actual)
- First posted
- 23 Oct 2017 (actual)
- Results
- Posted 6 Mar 2019
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This project aims to test a new technology that may improve hand function impaired from a stroke, thereby improving independence and quality of life.
Detailed description
Post-stroke hand impairment is highly prevalent and severely restricts functional ability and independence. Yet, there is no assistive device to help hand function at home, every day, during activities of daily living. Existing devices such as hand-opening orthoses are expensive, uncomfortable, bulky, and meant for use during short therapy sessions as opposed to during daily living. Thus their impact is limited. Consequently, the development of efficacious and affordable assistive device is of importance. This project addresses this critical gap by providing an innovative patent-pending technology. The "TheraBracelet" is a wristband applying imperceptible vibration to skin. TheraBracelet is efficacious, as it has been shown to immediately improve chronic stroke survivors' touch sensation and hand dexterity in previous studies. TheraBracelet is affordable by using only a low-cost vibrator. TheraBracelet is also translational, because a vibrator strategically placed at the wrist does not interfere with dexterous finger motions, and it is low-risk by involving only imperceptible vibration on skin. These practicalities assure easy adoption in home environment for large impact on sensorimotor impairment. The essential next step, thus the objective of this Phase I project, is to determine the feasibility and safety of using this assistive device all day every day for a month during daily activity. This objective will be accomplished in a double-blinded, randomized, controlled, crossover design study. Feasibility (compliance of using the device everyday) and safety will be assessed for the real vibration condition compared to the sham vibration condition (wearing the device without vibration). The feasibility and safety level comparable to those of wearing a watch and of a comparable FDA-approved device will support viability of TheraBracelet with necessary regulatory approvals. This project is expected to lead to an assistive wristband that increases hand function during activities of daily living for a large number of stroke survivors with hand impairment.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Masking
- Quadruple blind (participant, care provider, investigator, outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- The study will use a 2×2 crossover design. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the treatment or control condition for the first month, followed by a 2-week washout period and then crossover to the other condition.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Real then Sham | Other | Device: Real Stimulation, Device: Sham StimulationParticipants are instructed to wear the TheraBracelet device on the affected wrist every day for at least 8 hours/day during their daily activity for 1 month. After 2-week washout, participants are again instructed to wear the device on the affected wrist every day for at least 8 hours/day during their daily activity for 1 month. The device applies real stimulation in the first month. The device applies sham stimulation in the second month. The stimulation is imperceptible. Thus, participants do not perceive stimulation in either month. |
| Sham then Real | Other | Device: Real Stimulation, Device: Sham StimulationParticipants are instructed to wear the TheraBracelet device on the affected wrist every day for at least 8 hours/day during their daily activity for 1 month. After 2-week washout, participants are again instructed to wear the device on the affected wrist every day for at least 8 hours/day during their daily activity for 1 month. The device applies sham stimulation in the first month. The device applies real stimulation in the second month. The stimulation is imperceptible. Thus, participants do not perceive stimulation in either month. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Age: 18 years or older
- Time since stroke: > 3 months
- Those with at least some movement in the affected upper limb
- Ability to put on the device at home
- Ability to perform the Box and Block Test with a score > 0
Key exclusion criteria (8 listed)
- Comorbidity such as neuropathy, orthopaedic conditions in the hand
- Compromised skin integrity of the hand/wrist.
- Participation in an upper limb rehabilitation program concurrently
- Pregnancy
- A language barrier or cognitive impairment that precludes following
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Real StimulationThe device applies wrist vibration at a subthreshold (imperceptible) level. | Device | Real then Sham, Sham then Real |
| Sham StimulationThe device applies no vibration. | Device | Real then Sham, Sham then Real |
Primary outcome
Safety - Occurrence of Device-Related Adverse Events (AE)
Time frame: Two 1-month durations
Any worsening of hand sensation, dexterity, grip strength, upper limb pain, swelling, spasticity, skin irritation, or any other adverse events (assessed every week) that sustained until the end of the month or occurred at the end of the month.
Feasibility - User Compliance in Wearing the Device
Time frame: Two 1-month durations
Results and safety
Loading the posted results from ClinicalTrials.gov…
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 7 May 2019.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, baseline, all outcome measures and adverse events.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 31444692Seo NJ, Enders LR, Fortune A, Cain S, Vatinno AA, Schuster E, Ramakrishnan V, Feng W. Phase I Safety Trial: Extended Daily Peripheral Sensory Stimulation Using a Wrist-Worn Vibrator in Stroke Survivors. Transl Stroke Res. 2020 Apr;11(2):204-213. doi: 10.1007/s12975-019-00724-9. Epub 2019 Aug 23.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Upon request.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Na Jin Seo, PhD principal investigator
Medical University of South Carolina
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Real Stimulation in people with Hand Function and Stroke, run by TheraBracelet, Inc. at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 8 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 7 May 2019. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 6 Mar 2019). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Safety - Occurrence of Device-Related Adverse Events (AE) (time frame: Two 1-month durations). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03318341, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 7 May 2019; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 27 Oct 2026.