Engineering medical solutions
Issued: Fri, 03 Jun 2011 10:49:00 BST
Dr Henrik Gollee who is leading research in rehabilitation engineering, is keen to point out the quality of the work taking place at Glasgow: ‘We are really unique within the UK; our research is embedded in the hospital which has allowed us to develop a great pool of researchers conducting vital work in the clinical arena.’
This pool of researchers includes Dr Sylvie Coupaud, who attained her PhD at Glasgow and now holds a post doctoral position in the group developing machines that help people who have suffered some form of paralysis to exercise.
‘My main topic of research is in developing rehabilitation engineering solutions to combat osteoporosis. Because when the muscles are paralysed they don’t act upon the bones, bone loss takes place and this can lead to weak bones and an increased risk of fracture.
‘What we can do is develop rehabilitation systems, such as those based on functional electrical stimulation (FES), to rebuild some of the paralysed muscles. With FES, we can stick surface electrodes onto the skin that lies over the muscles we need for the exercise, send electrical signals to the nerve, and induce muscle contractions for effective exercise.'
The researchers are developing this technology to help with a range of aspect of spinal cord injury, such as fitness and exercise, but also reduced breathing. 'We can stimulate the abdominal muscles to help someone where the paralysis affects the respiratory muscles to improve their coughing and breathing. This can help to avoid respiratory infections and greatly improve their quality of life', explains Dr Gollee.
Dr Aleksandra Vuckovic who is leading research in the group to use brain signals as part of rehabilitation, adds: 'We try to develop new ways to help patients to recover as much function as possible. Advanced engineering technologies can make a big difference here.'
The team closely collaborate with clinicians at the Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Injuries Unit at Glasgow's Southern General Hospital where the centre is based, allowing the researchers to work directly with doctors and patients and to ensure that their work is useful in the clinical arena.