The SetPoint System as a Pro-Remyelination Therapy for Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: A Pilot Study
The MS pilot study will assess the safety and investigate the remyelinating effects of the SetPoint System (study device) in adult patients with patients diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The SetPoint System is intended for adjunctive use with standard of care therapy for RRMS. The study device contains a miniaturized stimulator (implant) that is surgically placed under general anesthesia on the vagus nerve through a small incision on the left side of the neck (implant procedure). The study will enroll up to 60 participants at up to 10 sites. All eligible participants will undergo the implant procedure. Two-thirds of the participants will receive active stimulation (treatment) and the one-third will receive non-active stimulation (control). Following treatment evaluations at Week 48, there will be a one-way crossover of control subjects to active stimulation and a 48-week open-label follow-up with all subjects (treatment and control) receiving active stimulation to evaluate long-term safety.
• Age 22-50 years at informed consent.
• Diagnosis of RRMS by revised 2017 McDonald criteria.
• Latency delay \>118 milliseconds on baseline full-field transient pattern reversal visual evoked potential (VEP) in at least one eye. Both eyes can be included if they meet all inclusion criteria.
• Peri-papillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) \> 70 microns on Optical Coherence Topography (OCT) in the VEP-qualifying eye (sufficient axons).
• Best corrected high-contrast (HCVA) better than 20/200 Snellen equivalent or letter score of 35
• Best corrected low-contrast letter acuity (LCLA) by Sloan chart (2.5% black on white) of no better than 40 letters in the VEP-qualifying eye (Snellen equivalent of 20/40). (Best corrected LCLA must be worse than best corrected HCVA.)
• Absence of clinical relapse for at least 12 months prior to informed consent
• No new lesions or increase in existing lesion volume on most recent clinic brain MRI (must be within 1 year of consent)
• Taking a stable regimen of disease-modifying therapy (DMT) prior to informed consent. If intermediate-potency DMT, the DMT must have been started and maintained for at least two years prior to consent. If high-potency DMT, the DMT must have been started and maintained at least one year prior to consent.
• Score of 2.5 to 6.0 by Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) at baseline, with at least of 2 on the functional systems pyramidal function.