Print
Email
Print Edition Stories
MHT's Julie Donnelly: Pharmaceuticals find drug development partners in colleges
Robotic surgery gains traction
MHT's Julie Donnelly: Life science startups finding investments
The U.S. Congress has allocated $1.6 million to Worcester Polytechnic Institute researchers to develop neuroprosthetic limbs that look and behave more like natural limbs, according to the school.
Under the funding, WPI researchers will develop implantable neuroprosthetics at the Center for Neuroprosthetics and BioMEMS, part of WPI’s Bioengineering Institute. Thirty WPI researchers in fields including regenerative biology, tissue engineering, nanotechnology, and biomedical signal processing will receive funding under the grant. The research has two goals: regenerating tissue to create a “soft-tissue seal” between the limb and the prosthetic, and using engineered micro-wires as scaffolding for the recruitment of neural stem cells and the regeneration of nerves. The school anticipates that by regenerating nerves, researchers can connect the prosthetic to the nervous system so it can send and receive information to and from the brain.
The funding was sponsored by U.S. Senators Paul Kirk and John Kerry, and U.S. Representative James McGovern, all from Massachusetts.
In 2007, WPI received $1 million in funding from Congress for research of implantable, neurally controlled prosthetics.
Comments
If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.
RSS Feeds
