Important Innovations

Targeted Neurotechnology Restores Ability to Walk Credit:  EPFL - Participant David Mzee Able to Walk Again Significant Breakthrough for Spinal Cord Injuries This is medicine at the cutting edge of innovation.  3 patients with paraplegia were able to walk again when their spinal cords received electrical stimulation via a wireless implant.  And after a few months of training the patients were able to control their previously paralyzed leg muscles without electrical stimulation.  The 3 had significant spinal cord injuries. Swiss Precision The study was led by the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne and the Lausanne University Hospital in Switzerland.  It establishes a new framework for improving recovery from spinal cord injuries. Speedy and Effective Treatment The patients, who had been paralyzed for years, regained voluntary control of their leg muscles within a week of treatment.  The patients are able to walk on their own with the ai...

New Brain Implant Size of Matchstick Brain Implant In Australia, University of Melbourne bioengineers have developed a brain implant the size of a matchstick, that may help people paralyzed walk again.  It's been successfully tested on sheep. Stentrode The implant is called Stentrode.  It circumvents the spinal cord and enables movement driven by the person's thoughts.  It's a tiny device containing electrodes. DARPA and Australian Government Research Funding The US Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency DARPA and the government of Australia have funded the research.  The research team hopes to test the Stentrode on 5 volunteers.   Wireless Thoughts The system relays thoughts wirelessly to an external robotic device such as an exoskeleton or prosthetic limb.  The Stentrode enables patient directed brain control over movement and locomotion. Human Augmentation The Stentrode device is part of the growing field of roboti...

Cellular Path to Reversing Paralysis Stem Cells - UCLA Researchers at UCLA have turned human stem cells into sensory interneurons.  These are the cells that give us a sense of touch.  This could be a step toward stem-cell based therapies to restore feeling in people paralyzed who have lost sensation in parts of their body. Neurons Sensory interneurons are a type of neuron in the spinal cord.  They relay information from throughout the body to the central nervous system, which enables a sense of touch.  Creating nerve cells from stem cells is a first. The researchers also did so while maintaining the genetic code of the person they originated from.  That's important because the scientists say it eliminates immune suppression. Ongoing Research with Significant Potential Lead researcher Asso. Prof. Samantha Butler noted that you need to be able to feel and sense your body in space in order to walk.  Feeling and walking go hand-in-hand.  Th...