'Cyborg' spinal implant could help paralysed walk again
'Cyborg' spinal implant could help paralysed walk again
It might seem like science fiction but a new implant
which attaches directly to the spine could help paralysed people walk again
The implant is so effective because it mimics the soft
tissue around the spine so that the body does not reject its presence
By Sarah Knapton, Science Editor
7:00PM GMT 08 Jan 2015
Paralysed patients have been given new hope of recovery
after rats with severe spinal injuries walked again through a ‘groundbreaking’
new cyborg-style implant.
In technology which could have come straight out of a
science fiction novel or Hollwood movie, French scientists have created a thin
prosthetic ribbon, embedded with electrodes, which lies along the spinal cord
and delivers electrical impulses and drugs.
The prosthetic, described by British experts as ‘quite
remarkable’, is soft enough to bend with tissue surrounding the backbone to
avoid discomfort.
Paralysed rats who were fitted with the implant were able
to walk on their own again after just a few weeks of training.
Researchers at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de
Lausanne are hoping to move to clinical trials in humans soon. They believe
that a device could last 10 years in humans before needing to be replaced.
The implant, called ‘e-Dura’, is so effective because it
mimics the soft tissue around the spine – known as the dura mater – so that the
body does not reject its presence.
“Our e-Dura implant can remain for a long period of time
on the spinal cord or cortex,” said Professor Stéphanie Lacour.
“This opens up new therapeutic possibilities for patients
suffering from neurological trauma or disorders, particularly individuals who
have become paralyzed following spinal cord injury.”
Previous experiments had shown that chemicals and
electrodes implanted in the spine could take on the role of the brain and
stimulate nerves, causing the rats' legs to move involuntarily when they were
placed on a treadmill.
But this is the first study to show a simple gadget can
help rats walk again and be tolerated by the body.
Scientists have struggled to find a device which will sit
next to the spine or brain because both are surrounded by a protective envelope
of tissue which the hard surface of implants can rub against, causing
inflammation and scar tissue.
The electronic ribbon is placed directly onto the spinal
cord
However the new gadget is flexible and stretchy enough
that it can be placed directly onto the spinal cord. It closely imitates the
mechanical properties of living tissue, and can simultaneously deliver electric
impulses and drugs which activate cells.
The implant is made of silicon and covered with gold
electric conducting tracks that can be pulled and stretched. The electrodes are
made of silicon and platinum microbeads which can also bend in any direction
without breaking.
Writing in the journal Science, where the results were
published, science writer Robert Service said: "Soft flexible nerves
connected to unyielding silicon and metal - the combination has spawned many a
Hollywood cybord.
"The implants Lacour’s team created still have to be
wired to the outside world to operate, but she and her colleagues are designing
wireless versions of the technology. Watch out, Hollywood, reality is catching
up."
The research was praised by British scientists.
“The work described here is a groundbreaking achievement
of technology, which could open a door to a new era in treatment of neuronal
damage,” said Dr Dusko Ilic, Reader in Stem Cell Science at King's College
London.
“Until now, the most advanced prostheses in intimate
contact with the spinal cord caused quite substantial damage to tissue in just
one week due to their stiffness.
“There is still a long way to go before we may see any
practical use of such neuroprostheses in humans. But it may be that it is
something that could potentially be developed for use in humans in the
foreseeable future.”
Prof John Hunt, Head of Unit of Clinical Engineering,
University of Liverpool, added: “This study in rats is an interesting one and
it could have the potential to be quite promising in terms of being applicable
to people with spinal injuries.”
The implant has been primarily tested in cases of spinal
cord injury in paralyzed rats but researchers believe it could eventually be
used in epilepsy, Parkinson's disease and pain management.
The scientists are planning to move towards clinical
trials in humans within the next few years.
The research was published in the journal Science.
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