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Mr. Marc Gauthier, a 63-year-old Frenchman, has long-term Parkinson's disease and cannot walk.
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| Mr. Marc Gauthier (middle) during a therapy session |
He was implanted with a new device designed by Swiss medical technology company Onward Medical. The neuro-support device contains an electric field that doctors at Lausanne University Hospital (CHU) have implanted into a patient’s spinal cord for the first time. Combined with a pulse generator under the skin of the abdomen, the device sends signals to the spinal cord, activating the leg muscles. Thanks to that, Mr. Gauthier can do chores and even walk.
As one of the leaders of the project, Professor of Neuroscience at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and CHU Hospital, Dr. Grégoire Courtine said that the electrical impulses transmitted to Gauthier's spinal cord helped him walk like a normal person.
The team is now planning to conduct clinical trials of the device in six new patients next year.
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