Ecole Polytechnique Federale De Lausanne

Ecole Polytechnique Féderale De Lausanne (epfl)

Pavel Musienko

Grégoire Courtine

Gregoire Courtine

Stephanie P Lacour

Ivan Rusev Minev

Arthur Hirsch

Quentin Barraud

Alexandre Larmagnac

A method produces a device adapted to be implanted into the human body for purposes such as neural stimulation, sensing or the like. The method includes: providing a stretchable layer or membrane of an insulating material; forming on the layer or membrane at least one stretchable conductive path; depositing at least one small bolus of a soft and conductive paste or material onto pre-defined areas or portions of the at least one conductive path, and inserting a first end portion of a conductive elementinto the at least one bolus of soft conductive paste or material. A second end portion of the conductive element opposite to the first end portion is not inserted into the at least one bolus.

Synthetic skin for recording and modulating physiological activities

The invention relates to the selective targeting of specific &#x3b1;2 adrenergic receptor subtypes for facilitating and also restoring standing and walking in a subject affected by spinal cord disorders, in particular spinal cord injury. In particular, the improvement of locomotion by targeting specific receptor subtypes can be achieved by stimulation of the &#x3b1;2c receptor subtype using an &#x3b1;2c specific agonist or by blocking the &#x3b1;2a receptor subtype using &#x3b1;2a antagonists. A combination of an &#x3b1;2c agonist and an &#x3b1;2a antagonist is also provided for a synergistic effect. Alternatively, a large &#x3b1;2 agonist can be used in combination with an &#x3b1;2a antagonist to achieve specific stimulation of the &#x3b1;2c receptor. Pharmaceutical compositions, kit-of-parts and therapeutic systems comprising said agonists/antagonists as active agents are objects of the present invention. A robotic interface and epidural electric stimulation can also be used in combination with the compositions of the invention for restoring voluntary control of locomotion.

Pharmacological stimulation to facilitate and restore standing and walking functions in spinal cord motor disorders

An implantable device for the electrical and/or pharmaceutical stimulation of the central nervous system, especially the spinal cord, is suggested. The device comprises a conformable substrate which is primarily composed of a flexible and stretchable polymer, and a plurality of flexible electrodes and conductive leads embedded in the conformable substrate. Not only the substrate, but also the leads are stretchable. The substrate may consist of PDMS, and the leads may consist of a conductive PDMS, in particular, PDMS with an electrically conductive filler material, and may optionally be metal-coated. The device defines a multi-electrode array which may be employed for neurostimulation in the epidural or subdural space of an animal or human.

PDMS-based stretchable multi-electrode and chemotrode array for epidural and subdural neuronal recording, electrical stimulation and drug delivery

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St. Petersburg, Russia

Pavel Musienko