At the renowned MIT University, they are launching a Digital Nervous System Project to help restore mobility to people with spinal cord injuries. The system will integrate bionic interfaces to a comprehensive platform, and will include a scaffold for spinal cord repair, artificial propioception from minimally invasive muscle sensing to synthetic spinal cord computation. Researchers plan to start with preclinical studies using rats and swine models. Learn more

Thanks to a pioneering surgery from China that involves a closed-loop spinal cord neural interface, a 12 year old girl from Russia, paralyzed from a car accident last year, has regained the ability to walk by using a walker and leg braces. Researchers say this was possible thanks to the surgery, as well as three months of intensive therapy. She also regained sensation in her feet, as well as active lower limb movement. Learn more

Although they’ve only been used in rodent and zebrafish for SCI research, experts say controllable microbots smaller than the width of a human hair will transform healthcare, helping treat health needs like stimulating healing in broken bones and getting medicine to areas of the body that are difficult to reach. A research team from ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich recently used microbots with success by having them deliver stem cells directly to the injury site in animal models, which promoted nerve cell regeneration significantly. Learn more

A new clinical trial at Brown University in Rhode Island has further solidified that electrical stimulation is able to restore movement and sensation after spinal cord injury.

“’This is the first time that simultaneous motor stimulation and sensory feedback have been demonstrated in people with complete spinal cord injuries,’ said David Borton, an associate professor of engineering at Brown and a biomedical engineer at the VA Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology. ‘This is an important step toward the goal of fully bridging the gap created by a spinal lesion. By providing both motor activation and simultaneous sensory feedback, we are making progress toward restoring coordinated movements and functional independence.’” Read more

Cathy, a 63 year old woman recently paralyzed, is taking part in a human trial called the “Human Avatar Project” at Norwell Health that’s helping restore movement to people with spinal cord injuries. The trial utilizes a neural implant and a brain computer interface that stimulates neuroplasticity, which researchers believe is helping reconnect the patient’s brain to their body, and spinal cord. Learn more

For over 25 years, researchers in Brazil have been working to see if the placenta-based protein polylaminin can restore function in people with spinal cord injuries. In a news conference this month, researchers announced the results of a successful human trial featuring eight patients. They found the drug, if administered quickly after a spinal cord injury, has the potential to heal damaged spinal cords. Learn more

In a study from the University of Auckland and Chalmers University, an ultra-thin electric implant restored movement and sensory response in rats with serious spinal cord injuries. Over a 12-week trial, paralyzed rats using daily subdural electrical stimulation regained coordinated leg movement and regained sensitivity to touch.

“While gaps remain before human application, this research—backed by successive rat studies and aided by evolving electrical neurostimulation platforms—signals a true turning point. Combining novel electrical implants with AI-guided dosage, wearable power sources, and precision mapping could soon unlock therapies that offer mobility to millions facing spinal cord injuries.” Read more

MIT engineers have discovered how to use gene modification to morph a single skin cell into 10+ neurons, and quickly. Scientists hope to use this discovery to one day treat paralysis:

“After two weeks, the researchers found that many of the neurons had survived and seemed to be forming connections with other brain cells. When grown in a dish, these cells showed measurable electrical activity and calcium signaling, suggesting the ability to communicate with other neurons. The researchers now hope to explore the possibility of implanting these neurons into the spinal cord.” Learn more

For those living with quadriplegia, there is palatable excitement over the ARC System, a device recently passed by the FDA. Created by ONWARD Medical, it uses non-invasive spinal cord stimulation therapy to return hand function. After an overwhelmingly successful clinical trial where 90% of participants experienced improved strength or function in their hands, Time magazine went on to name it one of the best inventions of 2024. ARC will first be available for clinical use in 2025 and soon thereafter will be available for home-use. Learn more

Called spinalNET, this tiny implantable device created at Rice University is hundred times smaller than the width of a piece of hair and has the ability to read the activity of spinal cord neurons in action, which researchers hope will help them identify the severity of spinal cord injuries. With this device, they were able to get “low-noise signals” from hundreds of neurons in the spinal cord, which are typically incredibly difficult to track due to their quick movement. They also hope this technology will one day be used to treat paralysis. Learn more