The University of California-Irvine said the National Science Foundation awarded $8 million to a UCI-led consortium to develop a system that can restore walking ability and sensation in individuals with spinal cord injuries.
The five-year grant will be divided among UCI, the California Institute of Technology and the University of Southern California. UCI will get the lion’s share, approximately $5.8 million.
It’s the largest NSF award received by faculty researchers at the UCI engineering and medicine schools, according to the university.
The initiative will focus on converting existing technology into a brain implant. To test the technology, the UCI team will collaborate with Caltech and USC on clinical studies in volunteers with spinal cord injury.
The implant could have applications beyond spinal cord injury, including stroke and traumatic brain injury.
— Deirdre Newman
