Bioelectronic implants to treat spinal cord injuries
The spinal cord is what connects our brain to our body. Losing that connection means not to be able to walk again, sit down or go to the toilet. But scientists may now have found a way for the body to repair itself.
With a small bioelectronic implant, researchers at Chalmers have developed a method that allows the brain to regain some communication with the body. The implant applies an electric field around the injury site, which has been demonstrated to regenerate locomotor function in rodent models. This represents a promising step toward enhancing quality of life for people with spinal cord injuries.
"People with spinal cord injury are incapable of walking. If you can induce a bit of regeneration, it might not be good enough for a human to independently walk again, but there might be enough newly built connections for them to regain control of their bladder or control their bowel", says Lukas Matter, a PhD student at Chalmers University of Technology.
Check out the video below, where Lukas Matter explains more about this small implant and the team's intention to begin trying it out in humans.
