sci – UofL News Fri, 17 Apr 2026 17:45:05 +0000 en-US hourly 1 UofL spinal cord injury researchers win innovation competition funding /section/science-and-tech/uofl-spinal-cord-injury-researchers-win-innovation-competition-funding/ Wed, 13 Jul 2022 14:09:34 +0000 /?p=56831 University of Louisville researchers and their collaborators have in a $9.8 million National Institutes of Health innovation competition for work aimed at helping spinal cord injury patients regain function.
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The eight Phase 1 winners in the NIH’s competition each receive $100,000, technical assistance and other resources to accelerate the development of neuromodulation therapies to treat a range of conditions. At UofL, researchers are using these therapies to help patients with paralysis restore functions they may otherwise never have again.
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“The potential this provides for people living with paralysis from a spinal cord injury is tremendous,” said Susan Harkema, a UofL professor, researcher and lead on the Neuromod Prize project. “This research and the progress we’ve made will improve all aspects of their daily lives, from movement to cardiovascular function.”
The project team includes UofL researchers Harkema and Claudia Angeli, working in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), Medtronic and long-time clinical translational research partner, the Kessler Foundation. Together, they will develop a novel communication and analysis system, called StimXS, that integrates multi-modal sensor information to simultaneously stabilize blood pressure and improve respiratory and bladder function.
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This builds on past work by UofL researchers, who have used neuromodulation to target and improve a range of health effects resulting from spinal cord injury, including cardiac, respiratory and bladder function and even — something previously thought to be impossible. To target these functions, the researchers use an implantable epidural stimulation device that can send electrical signals to select areas of the spinal cord.
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“We have seen excellent results in the lab, and now, our goal is to develop this therapy for broad use in patients,” said Angeli, assistant professor of bioengineering in the UofL J.B. Speed School of Engineering and director of the Epidural Stimulation Program at KSCIRC. “This Phase 1 win and the support we’ll receive as a result is a step toward that goal.”
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This work has also been supported by several public and private sponsors, such as the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, the Neilsen Foundation, the Helmsley Charitable Trust and multiple grants from the NIH, including a . As part of the Neuromod Prize, Phase 1 winners will be exclusively invited to participate in Phase 2 to conduct proof-of-concept studies. Up to four Phase 2 winners may be selected to advance to Phase 3.ĚýPhase 2 will have a total potential prize pool of $4 million and Phase 3 will have a total potential prize pool of $5 million. Ěý
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“The work these UofL researchers are doing has the potential to make, and is already making, a significant impact on the daily lives of patients living with spinal cord injury,” said Kevin Gardner, UofL’s executive vice president for research and innovation. “This is meaningfully advancing human health, and I look forward to seeing them translate this for broad use in patients.”
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The Neuromod Prize is part of theĚý, which is making critical progress to help accelerate the development of neuromodulation therapies, close fundamental knowledge gaps, and offer tools that enable open science and innovation through the .
]]> Awards honor contributions to UofL’s pediatric neurorecovery program and children with spinal cord injury /post/uofltoday/awards-honor-contributions-to-uofls-pediatric-neurorecovery-program-and-children-with-spinal-cord-injury/ Mon, 06 Jun 2022 18:40:29 +0000 /?p=56606 UofL’s Kosair Charities Center for Pediatric NeuroRecovery has recognized individuals for their contributions to research and support for children with spinal cord injuries. The awards, named for UofL spinal cord injury researcher Susan J. Harkema and A. Keith Inman, former president ofĚýKosair Charities, were presented during the Pediatric NeuroRecovery Summit last month at Frazier Rehab Institute.

“On the 10-year anniversary of the program, it was time to honor and thank the two individuals whose driving vision and support launched what has become the Kosair Charities Center for Pediatric NeuroRecovery by naming these awards in their honor,” said Andrea Behrman, director of the center. “Further, we are proud to present these awards to individuals whose support and contribution have had a significant positive impact on the lives of children with spinal cord injuries and their families.”

The Susan J. Harkema Pediatric NeuroRecovery Research Award honors Harkema’s “enduring generosity in sharing her vision to advance recovery for adults with spinal cord injury to children with SCI, the contributions of her research as the foundation and catalyst for recovery and her unwavering support of the Pediatric NeuroRecovery Program,” Behrman said.

The first recipient of the Susan J. Harkema Pediatric NeuroRecovery Research Award is Yury Gerasimenko, professor in UofL’s . Known as the father of neuromodulation, Gerasimenko extended his spinal stimulation technology and work using neuromodulation to advance motor recovery of postural control, arm and hand function and walking in children with SCI. Ěý

“His work embodies the characteristics of generosity in sharing his knowledge to advance recovery in children with SCI. We are grateful for his contributions of research and unwavering support of the Pediatric NeuroRecovery Program,” Behrman said.

Andrea Behrman, Goutam Singh, recipient of the Susan J. Harkema Pediatric NeuroRecovery Research Award and Susan Harkema. Photo courtesy CJ Levy.
Andrea Behrman, Goutam Singh, recipient of the Susan J. Harkema Pediatric NeuroRecovery Research Award and Susan Harkema. Photo courtesy CJ Levy.

The second recipient of the Susan J. Harkema Research Award is Goutam Singh, assistant professor at Spalding University and visiting scientist in the Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, for his research in pediatric SCI relative to respiratory function, trunk control and neuromodulation.

The A. Keith Inman Pediatric NeuroRecovery Community Service Award recognizes the contributions of Inman, who served as president of Kosair Charities from 2017-2021 and previously as vice president for advancement at UofL. The award honors those who support children and adolescents with spinal cord injury and their families through the gift of their own time and community-based support.

Andrea Behrman, Amy Brown, recipient of the A. Keith Inman Pediatric NeuroRecovery Community Service Award and Keith Inman
Andrea Behrman, Amy Brown, recipient of the A. Keith Inman Pediatric NeuroRecovery Community Service Award and Keith Inman

The first recipients of the A. Keith Inman Pediatric NeuroRecovery Community Service Award are Amy Brown and Jennifer Nachreiner of RISE AGAIN, a not-for-profit organization that supports those with spinal cord illness or injury to reach beyond expectations. As parents of children with spinal cord injury, Brown and Nachreiner have first-hand knowledge of the challenges facing parents and families of children with spinal cord injury.

The second recipient is Alyssa Lemons, who established and maintains a Facebook group “” as a resource for parents and caregivers of children and adolescents with spinal cord injury.

On behalf of the awardees, $10,000 ($2,500 for each award) was donated to the Shelley A. Trimble Pediatric NeuroRecovery Fund at the University of Louisville. The Trimble fund provides assistance for children with SCI and their families to fill the gaps in insurance, funding for clinical services at UofL Health – Frazier Rehab Institute and travel and lodging for children and families participating in research at the Center for Pediatric NeuroRecovery.

The Pediatric NeuroRecovery Summit was a two-day educational forum tapping a broad array of expertise on recent scientific research and innovations that may effectively advance the recovery of children with spinal cord injury. More than 35 invited researchers, physicians, therapists, psychologists and SCI community members from across the United States, the United Kingdom and France attended to network and to address progress in recovery in children with spinal cord injury and outreach to educate health care professionals and families concerning the potential for recovery that now exists for these children.

Speakers included Karen Adolph of New York University, Federico Canavese of Universite de Lille, France, Gerasimenko, Singh, Katie Lucas of UofL, and Kyle Brothers and Margaret Calvery of UofL and Norton Children’s, along with parents of children with SCI.

The summit is held every two years in conjunction with the .

 

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