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RecruitingNCT02431507MAGNAPUpdated Jan 22, 2026

Magnetic Apnea Prevention(MAGNAP) Device to Treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea:First-In-Human Study of Feasibility and Safety

An interventional study of Magnap in Obstructive Sleep Apnea, sponsored by Michael Harrison. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 21 Years to 70 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-01-22.

Sponsored by Michael Harrison · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
10
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
21 Years to 70 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The purpose of this study is to determine the safety and feasibility of the Magnap magnetic device in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Read the detailed description

Magnap is a magnet-activated treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) designed to be less invasive than reconstructive surgery, more tolerable than positive airway pressure, and more effective than non-invasive therapies for OSA. The Magnap device consists of a neodymium-iron-boron rare earth magnet with a ferromagnetic directional back-plate encased in titanium. The device will be implanted surgically on the hyoid bone. Following surgery, the patient is fitted with a custom, removable external neck accessory containing a second magnet, which is worn during sleep and prevents airway collapse by attracting the internal hyoid magnet with sufficient force to keep the airway open .

02

Conditions studied

  • Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Keywords

  • apnea
  • sleep apnea
  • magnetic sleep apnea device
  • hyoid bone
03

Who can participate

Ages eligible
21 Years to 70 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Patient is between 21 and ≤70 years of age
  • Subject has moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (defined as apnea-hypopnea index of 15-50 events/hour on baseline/screening polysomnogram)
  • Subject is intolerant of positive airway pressure therapy (defined as \<2 hours of sleep time with use per night for at least 5 nights per week as measured objectively by evaluation of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine memory chip and interpreted by the study sleep medicine specialist)
  • Subject signs and dates a written informed consent form and indicates understanding of the study procedures and risks

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Any evidence that apnea is not caused by base of tongue (i.e., central apnea, neurologic disorder, retropalatal collapse, nasal obstruction)
  • Any condition likely requiring MRI or has a metal implant
  • Any factor that, in the surgeon's judgment, would pose a risk to surgery or placement of a long-term implanted device
  • Any factor that, in the surgeon's judgment, would make the subject unlikely to respond to Magnap treatment
  • Congenital anomalies of the larynx, pharynx, or trachea or any other anatomical abnormality of the head, neck, or chest that would be a contraindication to placement of the Magnap device and usage of the external device
  • There are no exclusion criteria based on gender, race or ethnicity
04

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
10 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Treatment Arm with Magnetic Apnea Device

    The treatment arm with magnetic apnea device includes: surgical implantation of the magnetic apnea device(MAGNAP) to treat obstructive sleep apnea in each eligible enrolled subject . A custom fitted external brace will be created for wear throughout the 13 months of treatment and evaluated for improvement of symptoms..

    Device: Magnap

Interventions

  • DeviceMagnap

    This is a non-randomized clinical trial.Patients 21-70 years diagnosed with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea will have the Magnap Magnetic Apnea Device surgically implanted on the subject's hyoid bone and used in conjunction with an external neck brace and magnet to open airway during sleep in treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea. We will monitor for safety, brace compliance and improvement of symptoms of sleep apnea for a total of 13 months.

    Also known as: Magnetic apnea device

05

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Ability of the subject to use the Magnap device for the duration of the study.

    Determined by: monitoring for successful device implantation without complications necessitating device removal in all 10 subjects, subjects able to use the device throughout study period once fitted with the brace. Safety will be monitored by tracking all adverse events in 10 subjects and/or complications of treatment.

    Time frame: 13 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. Ability of external device to open the airway,

    Outcomes will be measured by pharyngeal airway measurements taken pre and post implantation with and without the external device and recording improvements of OSA parameters recorded on polysomnogram pre and post-implantation with and without the external device.

    Time frame: 13 Months

  2. Improve symptoms related to OSA

    Measurement of symptom improvement and compliance will be monitored by questionnaires 4 times during the study and by 4 polysomnograms after implantation. All 10 subjects will be required to complete daily or event journal entries describing changes and/or experiences with the brace and OSA symptoms

    Time frame: 13 Months

  3. Measure Patient compliance

    Measurement of symptom improvement will be documented and compared to all post-implantation polysomnograms and compliance will be monitored by daily sleep journal entries by all subjects.questionnaires and journal entries.

    Time frame: 13 Months

06

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • University of California San Francisco/Mount Zion Hospital
    San Francisco, California 94115, United States
    • Michael R Harrison, MD · Contact · michael.harrison@ucsf.edu · 415-235-5812
    • Jolie Chang, MD · Sub investigator
    • Andrew Murr, MD · Sub investigator
    • David Claman, MD · Sub investigator
    Recruiting
07

References and documents

Publications

  • Rosenbluth KH, Kwiat DA, Harrison MR, Kezirian EJ. Hyoid bone advancement for improving airway patency: cadaver study of a magnet-based system. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2012 Mar;146(3):491-6. doi: 10.1177/0194599811429522. Epub 2011 Nov 22. PubMed 22114308 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

08

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT02431507
Lead sponsor
Michael Harrison
Responsible party
Michael Harrison (Principal Investigator/ Sponsor, University of California, San Francisco) — Sponsor-investigator
First posted
May 1, 2015
Start date
Sep 2015
Primary completion
Dec 1, 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Mar 1, 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Jan 22, 2026

Study contacts

Jeff Jensen, BS
Contact
jjensen@magnap.net
415-640-5245
Michael Danty, MS
Contact
Mrd9940@magnap.net
7074848774
Michael R Harrison, MD
principal investigator · University of California, San Francisco

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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