Medical Design Briefs - January 2024 - 37

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Neuroprosthetics correct walking disorders associated with Parkinson's disease.
(Credit: EPFL)
University Hospital (CHUV). After a precision neurosurgical
procedure, Marc, from Bordeaux, was fitted with this new neuroprosthetic
made up of an electrode field placed against the
spinal cord, which controls walking, and an electrical impulse
generator implanted under the skin of his abdomen. Using
a targeted programming of spinal-cord stimulations which
adapts in real time to his movements, Marc has quickly seen
his walking disorder subside. After several weeks of rehabilitation
with the neuroprosthetic, he is now able to walk almost
normally. He currently uses his neuroprosthetic for around
8 hours a day, only turning it off when he is sitting down for
a long period of time or when he is sleeping: " I turn on the
stimulation in the morning and I turn off in the evening. This
allows me to walk better and to stabilize. Right now, I'm not
even afraid of the stairs anymore. Every Sunday I go to the
lake, and I walk around 6 kilometers. It's incredible. "
n The Challenge of Large-Scale Use
This neuroprosthetic opens up new possibilities to deal with
walking disorders that many people suffering from Parkinson's
diseases are affected by, but at this stage the treatment
concept has demonstrated its effectiveness in one person
only, with an implant that still needs to be optimized for largescale
use. In partnership with ONWARD Medical, Courtine
and Bloch are working on developing a commercial version
of the neuroprosthetic, including all the necessary functionalities
for optimal everyday use. " Our ambition is to provide
general access to this innovative technology to improve the
quality of life of Parkinson's patients significantly, all over the
world, " they explain.
Furthermore, thanks to a generous donation of $1 million
from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's research,
the NeuroRestore centre is going to carry out clinical tests
on six new patients next year. These trials aim not only to
validate the technology developed in collaboration with ONWARD,
but also to identify the profiles of patients most likely
to benefit from this innovative treatment. Founded by the
actor Michael J. Fox, who has Parkinson's disease, this foundation
is the main private donor in the field of research into
Parkinson's disease.
This article was written by CHUV. For more information, contact
Prof. Grégoire Courtine at gregoire.courtine@epfl.ch or
visit https://actu.epfl.ch.
Medical Design Briefs, January 2024
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37
12/20/23 2:20 PM

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Medical Design Briefs - January 2024

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