Medical researchers from Melbourne recently revealed the world’s first bionic spinal cord. The stent-based electrode monitors brain waves and allows patients to control exoskeletons and bionic limbs using thoughts alone, acting as the spinal cord for those suffering from paralysis and spinal cord injuries. (Images from Nature)
What if a device the size of a safety pin could replace an injured spinal cord, giving those with paralysis a second lease on a more mobile life? Well now, it can. Thanks to Melbourne medical researchers, a new minimally invasive stent may restore mobility in paraplegics and amputees as early as next year.
The reality of being a paraplegic or amputee today is grim, but getting brighter every day. Innovators are working on promising smart limbs that function much like the real thing, and exoskeletons are proving to be the next great invention for those with paralysis and other physical disabilities. This new invention, however, takes the cake.
Many persons who suffer from paralysis and physical disabilities actually suffer from a spinal cord or brain injury that inhibits the communication between the brain and the body. The spinal cord acts as this communication pathway, but when it is damaged as the result of a freak accident, or deteriorates over time due to a medical condition, that pathway slowly closes. This stent hopes to change all of that.
Figure 1: Superficial cortical venous variability in humans and a sheep model.
The new device is a stent-based electrode which records brain activity when implanted within a blood cell near the cerebrum. As it records brain activity, or thoughts, it communicates these thoughts to an exoskeleton, or bionic limbs, prompting it execute the thoughts of the user.
This breakthrough is revolutionary for a number of reasons. While invasive surgeries exist to restore some mobility to disabled persons, it has never before been minimally invasive. Patients could, in theory, have the stentrode implanted after their morning coffee, and still catch their favorite early evening soap opera, without skipping a beat.
Figure 2: Stentrode Delivery.
With this, the stentrode technology also bypasses a serious concern for those with paralysis – atrophy. After not having walked for years, muscles atrophy and even if the communication between the brain and body is restored, it could take months or years of rehabilitation therapy to relearn how to walk. Since the stent is paired with an exoskeleton or bionic limbs, however, mobility can be restored to patients immediately.
This innovation took the research and collaboration of 39 distinguished academic scientists from sixteen different departments. The study was published recently in Nature Biotechnology. The principal author, Dr. Thomas Oxley, is both a neurologist at The Royal Melbourne Hospital and Research Fellow at The Florey Institute of Neurosciences and the University of Melbourne. He said the stentrode is the world’s only minimally invasive endovascular device and was created specifically for the purpose of restoring mobility to those with disabilities.
In Australia, stroke and spinal cord injuries are the main causes of disability. One in 50 people of all ages are disabled, including teenagers and senior citizens alike. The stentrode was made with them in mind.
In-human trials will begin next year at The Royal Melbourne Hospital. If the results are positive, this device could make the fate of paralysis more optimistic. It could also benefit those with other brain-related conditions, including Parkinson’s Disease and epilepsy. The researchers of the study believe the technology could be expanding to allow patients to control electronic devices and more, using only the mind.
This research was supported in part by the U.S. Defense Department DARPA, Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council, The Australian Defence Health Foundation, the USA Office of Naval Research Global, The Brain Foundation, and The Royal Melbourne Hospital Neuroscience Foundation.
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