ReWire — Technology-driven combinatorial therapy to rewire the spinal cord after injury

Results in brief

Technology-driven combinatorial therapy to rewire the spinal cord after injury

Traumatic spinal cord injuries (SCI) are primarily caused by mechanical damage to the central nervous system, with road traffic accidents and falls as main causes. They result in impairment of motor, sensory, and autonomic functions, thus requiring tailored and personalised treatment strategies. Plasticity can result in new connections and neural circuits, contributing to a compensatory recovery of function. There is substantial progress in understanding the cascade of cellular and molecular events, but there are still no effective interventions that mitigate the extent of damage, and current treatment strategies have proven insufficiently effective in patients. Conventional therapies focus on resolving individual aspects of SCI, thereby neglecting synergies to tackle multiple targets simultaneously. Technological advances in drug delivery systems, biomaterials, electronics, and robotics have resulted in novel developments to regain lost function after SCI. ReWIRE is evolving and combining these technological advances. The overall goal is to translate combinatorial SCI therapies from bench to bedside in a timely manner, thereby improving the quality of life and reducing societal burden. In ReWIRE, the Doctoral Candidates are exposed to basic SCI science and repair strategies, as well as cutting-edge technologies in related scientific fields. A special focus is set on personalised therapies, including tailored rehabilitation programs. To achieve this, ReWIRE is merging the following three key developments: i) reactivation, stimulation, and attraction of nerve growth using drug delivery systems ii) support and guidance of nerve growth with biomaterial bridges iii) enhancement and stabilization of nerve growth by inducing plasticity via electrical stimulation, robotics, and rehabilitation ReWIRE is set up to equip next-generation scientists with unique skills to develop ground-breaking therapeutic solutions for patients with SCI. ReWIRE’s first objective is to establish an international, interdisciplinary, and intersectoral educational network that develops and links high-tech routes into new personalized, combinatorial approaches to rewire the spinal cord. The second objective is to build a clinical data platform for SCI. The third objective is to position Europe at the forefront of therapy for SCI. The training and research parts are focused on developing the next generation specialists and technologies in the European Research Area. Specifically, ReWIRE aims to establish meaningful functional recovery by combining axonal regrowth and reconnection with new neuronal circuits, controlled by the brain and boosted by neuromodulation. The overall goal is to translate combinatorial SCI therapies from bench to bedside in a timely manner, thereby improving the quality of life and reducing societal burden. The convergent approach will lead to combinatorial therapies to repair the spinal cord after injury, which, to date, has not been successful using individual therapies.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

ReWIRE will combine innovative translational neurotechnologies and rehabilitation interventions for the repair and restoration of neurological functions following injury of the spinal cord (SC). The proposed research program will equip next-generation scientists with unique skills to develop disruptive therapeutic solutions for patients with paralysis. Recent technological breakthroughs have triggered a paradigm shift in the conception of therapies aimed to restore function after spinal cord injury (SCI). Novel drug delivery systems and biomaterial bridges have been engineered to reduce secondary injury and scarring, to stimulate and guide regenerating nerve fibres across the lesion site, and to promote functional reconnection with intact tissue. Additionally, neuromodulation therapies can reactivate spinal circuits below a SCI, allowing people with chronic paralysis to regain voluntary control of walking. In conjunction with rehabilitation, neurological recovery was promoted that persisted without neuromodulation, suggesting a rewiring of the SC as demonstrated in preclinical models. To bypass an injury, neuromodulation has been linked to brain signals to re-establish cortical control over spinal circuits by employing electrical nerve stimulation and robotic systems. Advances in robotics are significantly augmenting the impact of neurorehabilitation by inducing new natural “wired” connections. The aim of ReWIRE is to leverage all these technical and therapeutic breakthroughs in the framework of multiple PhD projects that will continuously interact to converge toward effective combinatorial treatments for SCI. ReWIRE will focus on three inter-woven objectives: i) establish an international, interdisciplinary, and intersectoral educational network, ii) build an SCI clinical data platform, and, iii) position Europe at the forefront of therapy for SCI.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

DWI LEIBNIZ-INSTITUT FUR INTERAKTIVE MATERIALIEN EV · AachenCoordinatorGermany
Aachen Proteineers GmbH · BaesweilerGermany
BIOSYNTH BV · LelystadNetherlands
CENTRE HOSPITALIER UNIVERSITAIRE VAUDOIS · LausanneSwitzerland
COMMISSARIAT A L ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES · ParisFrance
Creoptix AG · WadenswilSwitzerland
DEUTSCHES ZENTRUM FUR NEURODEGENERATIVE ERKRANKUNGEN EV · BonnGermany
ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE · LausanneSwitzerland
IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINE · LondonUnited Kingdom
JOHANNES GUTENBERG-UNIVERSITAT MAINZ · MainzGermany
KING'S COLLEGE LONDON · LondonUnited Kingdom
KONINKLIJKE NEDERLANDSE AKADEMIE VAN WETENSCHAPPEN - KNAW · AMSTERDAMNetherlands
LEIBNIZ-INSTITUT FUR POLYMERFORSCHUNG DRESDEN EV · DresdenGermany
MALVERN PANALYTICAL LIMITED · MALVERNUnited Kingdom
MYOSWISS AG · ZurichSwitzerland
ONWARD MEDICAL NV · EINDHOVENNetherlands
RHEINISCH-WESTFAELISCHE TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE AACHEN · AachenGermany
SCUOLA SUPERIORE DI STUDI UNIVERSITARI E DI PERFEZIONAMENTO S ANNA · PisaItaly
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAT HAMBURG · HamburgGermany
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT EINDHOVEN · EindhovenNetherlands
THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA · OaklandUnited States
The University of Tokyo · TokyoJapan
UNIVERSITAETSKLINIKUM AACHEN · AachenGermany
UNIVERSITAT ZURICH · ZurichSwitzerland
UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA · VANCOUVERCanada
WEARABLE ROBOTICS S.R.L. · PISAItaly

ReWire · Technology-driven combinatorial therapy to rewire the spinal cord after injury

Results in brief

Technology-driven combinatorial therapy to rewire the spinal cord after injury

Project objective

Participants

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