LOUVAIN-LA-NEUVE, Belgium, February 8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Axinesis announced today that its innovative medical interactive robotic device, REAPlan, dedicated to the rehabilitation of impaired upper limbs of stroke patients and cerebral palsy children, has received CE mark approval according to Directive 93/42/EEC on medical devices.

Axinesis is an innovative medtech company with a mission to improve functional recovery of the upper limbs following brain injuries.

Axinesis's REAplan, is an ergonomic, interactive and auto-adaptive device, combining robotics and therapeutic gaming to improve the rehabilitation of impaired upper limbs. REAplan differentiates from existing solutions by offering real time automated personalized assistance of arm movements. REAplan has been evaluated on more than 300 patients and results demonstrated improved recovery of impaired upper limbs in clinical practice.  

CE marking indicates a full compliance with European Union regulations governing medical devices.

The company is poised to begin immediate sales and distribution in select EU countries:

"This is an important milestone in our mission to provide state-of-the-art technologies dedicated to the rehabilitation of brain-injured patients," said Eric Hanesse, CEO of Axinesis. "The continual requests from customers for products enhancing patients' rehabilitation, and the feedbacks of users on this project have been exceptional. We are very pleased to offer an innovative high-end technology, for a very affordable investment, to the European rehabilitation community and expand the clinical options available to all.  Robotics, integrated in rehabilitation programs, enable stroke patients to accomplish significant numbers of moves with their arms, fostering a natural reconstruction process of the brain, called neuroplasticity. Based on our current data and results, REAplan can help over 5 million people worldwide, left permanently disabled after a stroke event*, as well as children affected by the most common childhood disability, cerebral palsy." 

About Axinesis : 

AXINESIS is a medtech start-up founded by Julien SAPIN and Eric HANESSE.

Eric is a former GE Healthcare business manager, active in the fields of medical devices and healthcare entrepreneurship, with 20 years of marketing & sales experience.

Julien has a Ph.D. in engineering sciences from UCL, and has run for 10 years R&D programs in the field of rehabilitation robotics, as a searcher of the Center for Research in Energy and Mechatronics of the UCL (CEREM).

The company has worked in close clinical collaboration with the Pr. Thierry Lejeune from the University Hospital of Saint Luc, an active Key Opinion Leader in the fields of physical medicine & rehabilitation.

Further partnerships have been set with other Key Opinion Leaders, such as Pr. Yves Vandermeeren from the University Hospital of Dinant Godinne. Professor Yves Vandermeeren has been awarded with the Depelchin Prize in 2013 for his research on neuro-rehabilitation

The company, a spin-off from the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL, Belgium), carries a clear mission : to improve functional recovery of patients through innovative and accessible technologies dedicated to the rehabilitation of impaired upper limbs of stroke adults or cerebral palsy children.

About REAplan : 

Axinesis has demonstrated the contribution of its medical interactive robotic device, REAplan, during the rehabilitation programs of patients. The intensity of repeated movements, as allowed by the REAplan, optimizes the process of neuronal reorganization, also known as neuroplasticity, after brain injuries and then, motor development in cerebral palsy children and recovery in stroke adults.

*Sources : World Health Organization (2004). Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke / International Cardiovascular Disease Statistics (2007 Update)

SOURCE Axinesis