Device Development & Biological Testing

The Device Development and Biological Testing Core supports discovery work in the nervous system, prototyping of innovative implantable and wearable medical devices, testing of neuro-inflammation and biological reactivity to implantable micro-technologies.​  A Quality Management System (QMS) for medical device development has been implemented to prepare our devices for manufacturing and ensure regulatory compliance.

This core houses the only Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) preclinical testing facility in Western Canada.  It supports the completion of preclinical research services to help University researchers and client companies develop therapeutic products or establish product safety in compliance with regulatory approval under the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Good Laboratory Practice regulations or FDA 21CFR Part 58.

• Developing and testing interventions that improve mobility and prevent secondary complications after neural injury or disease

• Investigation of the physiological, cellular and moDeveloping new strategies and therapeutics to improve device compatibility and integration with
  ​the central nervous system

• Studying the relationship between inflammation and psychiatric disorders, neurodegenerative disorders and implanted device biocompatibility

• Studying the bidirectional relationship between inflammation and neuropathology

• Identifying, targeting and modulating specific microglial phenotypes to promote recovery or repair of injured tissue

• 3D hydrogel culture for testing impact-induced injury and device biocompatibility

• Development, design and prototyping techniques applied to Micro and Nano-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS/NEMS) and applying it in sensors used in remote Structural Health Monitoring of critical systems such as pipelines, civil transportation systems, automotive and aerospace systems

• Intraspinal microstimulation (ISMS) is micro-device for restoring standing and walking in people with paralysis due to spinal cord injury

• Implanted in the spinal cord below the level of an injury and minute levels of current are delivered to activate remaining locomotor-like networks that then activate muscles in the legs ​in a coordinated manner

• Developing the device for long-term testing in persons with spinal cord injury

• Advancing the development of models and instrumentation to study the biomechanics of injuryand protection devices

• Developing miniature stimulators and sensors for wearable devices for biomedical applicationsand biomechanical assessment of human motion

• Miniature stimulators for devices such as the SOCC (Smart Ongoing Circulatory Compressions) for preventing the formation of deep vein thrombosis (DVT)

• Lends support to numerous projects requiring microfabrication

• Experience with polymer and standard micromachining technologies with applications in the field of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), microfluidics, soft robotics, nerve injury and bioinspired systemslecular ramification of injury

• Studying injury biomechanics and instrumentation such as impact exposure in athletes

• Developing methods to enhance neuroplasticity to improve the effects of rehabilitation and functional outcomes

• Work in restoring the gut microbiome resulting in improvements in anxiety (mental health) in rodents with spinal cord injury

• Research investigations involving persons with spinal cord injury

• Developed a functional electrical stimulation (FES)-assisted arm and leg cycling paradigm that has resulted in larger improvements in over-ground walking capacity than those produced by paradigms focused on training the legs alone

• Developing methods to combine the use of FES and exoskeletons to improve mobility in people with paralysis

• Combining FES for active contraction of muscles with exoskeletons, which passively move the legs, to produce longer walking distances than currently

• Developing slimmer and lighter exoskeletons with batteries that can last for longer durations than currently possible

• Developing interventions to prevent secondary complications associated with neural injury or disease

• Developing surface electrical stimulation and training paradigms that would reduce spasticity in individuals with spinal cord injury and stroke

• Investigating factors leading to deep vein thrombosis (DVT)

• Validating and implementing wearable devices and digital solutions in the treatment of respiratory diseases

The Sensorimotor Integration & Machine Learning core focuses on enhancing the function and acceptability of advanced assistive devices (e.g., exoskeletons, artificial limbs and neural prostheses) by addressing the human-machine interface, resulting in more efficient cooperative interactions. 

This core also aims to reduce the cognitive burden of controlling a device by endowing the devices with intelligence using cutting-edge machine learning approaches.

• Validated gaze and movement assessment technology

• Effective sensory-motor training strategy for prosthesis control

• Studying the effects of an innovative augmented sensory feedback protocol for motor control training using a virtual environment and a desktop mounted robotic arm

• Developing an inexpensive, modular prosthetic socket platform to reduce time and resource costs for evaluation of myoelectric control

• Conducting studies on lower limb osseointegration (direct skeletal fixation of a prosthesis)

• Determining if the use of the 3D-printed modular socket is quantitatively and qualitatively similar to that of a user-specific prosthetic socket

• Exploring integration of sensory feedback systems into our modular sockets

• Development and translation of the Gaze and Movement Analysis (GaMA), a novel testing protocol using synchronized motion and eye tracking to explore and quantify human visual-motor behaviour during goal-directed reaching tasks

• Translation of this metric to other sites in North America

The Rehabilitation Innovations core develops new rehabilitation interventions that harness multiple networks in the nervous system for restoring function using innovative

training strategies augmented with pharmacological assistance, cell-based therapies and devices preventing secondary complications after neural injury ​or disease.

• Developing and testing interventions that improve mobility and prevent secondary complications after neural injury or disease

• Investigation of the physiological, cellular and molecular ramification of injury

• Studying injury biomechanics and instrumentation such as impact exposure in athletes

• Developing methods to enhance neuroplasticity to improve the effects of rehabilitation and functional outcomes

• Work in restoring the gut microbiome resulting in improvements in anxiety (mental health) in rodents with spinal cord injury

• Research investigations involving persons with spinal cord injury

• Developed a functional electrical stimulation (FES)-assisted arm and leg cycling paradigm that has resulted in larger improvements in over-ground walking capacity than those produced by paradigms focused on training the legs alone

• Developing methods to combine the use of FES and exoskeletons to improve mobility in people with paralysis

• Combining FES for active contraction of muscles with exoskeletons, which passively move the legs, to produce longer walking distances than currently

• Developing slimmer and lighter exoskeletons with batteries that can last for longer durations than currently possible

• Developing interventions to prevent secondary complications associated with neural injury or disease

• Developing surface electrical stimulation and training paradigms that would reduce spasticity in individuals with spinal cord injury and stroke

• Investigating factors leading to deep vein thrombosis (DVT)

• Validating and implementing wearable devices and digital solutions in the treatment of respiratory diseases

The Robotics & Virtual Reality core develops virtual and augmented reality applications for diagnosis of the impact of injury or disease, rehabilitation training and evaluation of 

functional outcomes, innovative telehealth applications to provide care in remote communities as well as providing an effective new medium for learning.

• Developing AR/VR simulations for education and health care

• Developing Tele-Rehabilitation 2.0 (or Tele-Rehab 2.0) – a program that uses technology to mediate communication between remote patients/clinicians and urban specialists

• Working on providing equal access to quality care for all Albertans, regardless of identity or abilit

• Simulations by applying video game development strategies, including programming and digital art expertise and incorporation artificial intelligence

• Wheelchair biomechanics, which involves understanding the most efficient ways in which manual wheelchair users (MWUs) can propel themselves

• Studying haptics and telerobotics, surgical and therapeutic robotics, and image-guided surgery

• Filling these gaps by using an immersive, virtual world where the participant can go through similar real-world movements within the stationary confines of a VR cube

• Capturing recordings that would be otherwise difficult in the real-world, including motion capture, electromyography and metabolic analysi

• Development of technology interfaces and manipulators for children who have physical and communicative impairment

• Development of new techniques for telemedicine, patient-specific modeling using sensor fusion, and the application of telepresence technologies to medical training, simulation, and collaborative diagnostic

• Developing new technologies to assess spinal structure and function, then using those technologies to evaluate various clinical intervention