Active Projects

# The PATTERN Trial: Prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study to investigate the efficacy and safety of NT 201 in the treatment of lower limb spasticity caused by stroke or traumatic brain injury in adult subjects, followed by an open label extension with or without combined upper limb treatment” (“Protocol”), Protocol number M602011014.
Sponsor: MERZ
PI: Gerard Francisco, MD.
Goals: Assess efficacy and safety of NT 201 in the treatment of Lowe Limb spasticity due to stroke or traumatic brain injury.
Contact: [email protected]

# Recovery of language and theory of mind after stroke
Sponsor: The National Institutes of Health, National Inst. Deafness & Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
PI: Tatiana Schnur (MPI & contact), Margaret Blake (MPI), Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Houston
Goals: This project examines how cognitive and social-affective abilities impact the recovery of language in individuals during the acute to chronic stages of right hemisphere stroke.
Contact: [email protected]

# Facilitating neuroplastic changes of acute stroke survivors with severe hemiplegia
Sponsor: NINDS/NIH, MPI: Yupeng Ren, Sheng Li, Liqun Zhang
UTHealth Houston PI: Sheng Li, MD, PhD; Co-I: Gerard Francisco, MD
Goals: to examine the role of wearable ankle robot in acute stroke recovery
Contact: [email protected]

# transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) for post-stroke motor recovery
Sponsor: UTHealth Houston
PI: Sheng Li, MD, PhD
Goals: to examine neurophysiology of tACS and the effect of tACS as a neuromodulatory tool to facilitate recovery of hand function in stroke survivors
Contact: [email protected]

# Breathing controlled electrical stimulation (BreEStim) for post-stroke motor recovery
Sponsor: UTHealth Houston
PI: Sheng Li, MD, PhD
Goals: to investigate the effects of BreEStim in post-stroke motor recovery and spasticity management and its underlying mechanisms
Contact: [email protected]

#A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Sham-Controlled Study Assessing the Efficacy and Safety of iovera ®° system in Subjects with Upper Extremity Spasticity (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT06340451)
Sponsor: Pacira Biosciences
UTHealth Houston PI: Sheng Li, MD, PhD; Co-I: Gerard Francisco, MD
Goals: to investigate the efficacy and safety of cryoneurolysis is spasticity management
Contact: [email protected]

# Longitudinal assessment of cryoneurolysis effects on painful spasticity
Sponsor: Pacira Biosciences
PI: Sheng Li, MD, PhD
Goals: to longitudinally assess the effects of cryoneurolysis up to 6 months
Contact: [email protected]

# Scoping Review on Auricular Acupressure among Stroke Survivors
Unfunded
UTHealth Houston PI: Michael Nguyen, MD, MPH
Goals: Assess current evidence of auricular acupressure use in stroke recovery