Trial by Stimulation Rebroadcast (Episode 78)

Guest: Grégoire Courtine

Today’s episode is a rebroadcast of our conversation with Grégoire Courtine from two years ago. Dr. Courtine has been pivotal in the successful application of epidural stimulation in humans with SCI, in both his research and device commercialization. In this episode, we talk about Dr. Courtine’s motivation to study spinal cord injury and epidural stimulation in particular. We discuss the translation of his early rodent model research into humans and the mechanism of the therapy, such as targeted modulated stimulation coupled with intention and the reorganization of spared neural tissue. We also discuss the device’s application and it’s outcomes in different severities of injury, as well as his hopes for future application. 

As always, please share your thoughts with us via email at curecast@u2fp.org. Thanks for listening! 

Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Soundcloud

Bumper music: Dig a Hole by Freaque

Guest Bio

Grégoire Courtine was originally trained in Mathematics and Physics, but received his PhD degree in Experimental Medicine from the University of Pavia, Italy, and the INSERM Plasticity and Motricity, in France, in 2003. From 2004-2007, he held a Postdoctoral Fellow position at the Brain Research Institute, University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) under the supervision of Dr. Reggie Edgerton, and was a research associate for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation (CDRF). In 2008, he became Assistant Professor at the faculty of Medicine of the University of Zurich where he established his own research laboratory. In 2012, he was nominated Associate Professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) where he holds the International paraplegic foundation (IRP) chair in spinal cord repair at the Center for Neuroprosthetics and the Brain Mind Institute. He published several articles proposing radically new approaches for restoring function after spinal cord injury, which were discussed in national and international press extensively. He received numerous honors and awards such as the 2007 UCLA Chancellors award for excellence in post-doctoral research and the 2009 Schellenberg Prize for his innovative research in spinal cord injury awarded by the International Foundation of Research in Paraplegia.

Relevant Research

• The Up-LIFT Study: ONWARD Reports Positive Topline Results from a Pivotal Study to Restore Arm and Hand Function in People with Spinal Cord Injury. Up-LIFT study achieves primary endpoint: Statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in upper extremity strength and function.
   

• The Neurons that Restore Walking after Paralysis, was published November 9, 2022 in the journal Nature.

Related CureCast Episodes

• Spinal Stimulation 101 - Episode 73
   
• Spinal Stimulation 101 - Episode 72
   
• Spinal Stimulation 101 - Episode 71
   
• Susan Harkema - CureCast Episode 41
   
• Kathy Allen & Sandra Mulder - CureCast Episode 31
   
• David Darrow - CureCast Episode 30
   
• Chet Moritz - CureCast Episode 13
   
• Kendell Lee & Kristin Zhao - CureCast Episode 12

Acknowledgments