Category: ‘Research for a Cure’
‘Wraparound’ Implants Represent New Approach to Treating Spinal Cord Injuries
Posted on May 9th, 2024
A tiny, flexible electronic device that wraps around the spinal cord could represent a new approach to the treatment of spinal injuries, which can cause profound disability and paralysis.
A team of engineers, neuroscientists and surgeons from the University of Cambridge developed the devices and used them to record the nerve signals going back and forth between the brain and the spinal cord. Unlike current approaches, the Cambridge devices can record 360-degree information, giving a complete picture of spinal cord activity.
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Stem Cells From Patients’ Fat Can Help Treat Spinal Cord Injuries
Posted on April 2nd, 2024
A Mayo Clinic study shows stem cells derived from patients’ own fat are safe and may improve sensation and movement after traumatic spinal cord injuries. The findings from the phase 1 clinical trial appear in Nature Communications. The results of this early research offer insights on the potential of cell therapy for people living with spinal cord injuries and paralysis for whom options to improve function are extremely limited.
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Chinese Brain Implant Restores Mobility in Paralyzed Patient
Posted on February 1st, 2024
After three months of home-based rehabilitation training with the brain-machine interface, the patient was able to control a pneumatic glove through brain activity.
Just as Elon Musk’s Neuralink announced their success in putting an implant into a human brain, making headlines globally, China also showcases its latest progress in clinical application of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), highlighting another emerging area of fierce competition between these 2 powers.
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Methods for Bypassing and Treating Spinal Cord Injury
Posted on January 8th, 2024
Grégoire Courtine, Jocelyne Bloch and their research team have been breaking new ground in the treatment of neurological disorders for over a decade. Here’s a look at some of the promising new therapies they’ve developed.
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A Tiny Spinal Stimulator Could Someday Have a Big Impact on Paralysis
Posted on November 27th, 2023
A device designed by Johns Hopkins researchers may hold promise for restoring mobility to those with lower limb paralysis.
A Johns Hopkins materials scientist and collaborators have developed a tiny device that may hold promise for restoring mobility to those with lower limb paralysis, a condition affecting approximately 1.4 million Americans.
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