A ground-breaking initiative for people with spinal cord injury is being set up in Australia. The Neurostimulation Project, a collaborative effort between the University of Technology Sydney, SpinalCure Australia and Spinal Cord Injuries Australia, headed by UTS professor of neuroscience, Bryce Vissel, will establish the first clinical trial for neurostimulation research outside the US.
The aim of the five-year project, which is expected to commence in 2017, is to develop treatments for people with spinal cord injuries. Neurostimulation uses gentle electric currents to stimulate the spinal cord below the point of injury that enables nerve circuits in the spinal cord to help return levels of feeling and function. Initial treatment will focus on using transcutaneous stimulation to recover upper limb function and mobility in patients with quadriplegia.
The first clinical trials are expected to commence in Q2, 2017.
The Australian team will be working closely with Professor Reggie Edgerton (pictured), director of the neuromuscular research laboratory at the University of California. Professor Edgerton has spent 40 years researching spinal cord injury recovery that have led to these research breakthroughs in spinal cord injury.
The project will be launched on September 14 at The Great Hall, UTS, Sydney.
To register for the clinical trials or attend the event visit: www.spinalcure.org.au/neurostim