Plenary #6- Special Guest Speakers' Lecture
Tracks
Plenary Room: F1+F2+F3
| Saturday, October 11, 2025 |
| 9:45 - 10:35 |
| Plenary Room F1+F2+F3 |
Details
During the past decade, we have combined our respective expertise in neurosurgery, neurology, neuroscience, engineering and computational science to develop neurotherapies requiring neurosurgical interventions to regulate or restore neurological functions following spinal cord injury. These therapies were developed based on the discovery of the mechanisms of our treatment paradigm in rodent models before being tested in nonhuman primate models, and eventually humans. For example, This unconventional collaboration allowed us to understand the mechanisms through which epidural electrical stimulation of the spinal cord regulates the activity of specific neuronal populations, and how we translated this mechanistic understanding into precise neuromodulation therapies involving brain-computer interface technologies to control the stimulation that restored walking and upper limb functions in people with spinal cord injury. The same framework supported the development of implanted systems to regulate autonomic functions. During our lecture, we will not only summarise this journey, but also map the next steps to turn these breakthroughs into commonly available treatments.
Presenter (if the session has co-presenters, they will be listed in the APP)
Prof Gregoire Courtine & Prof Jocelyne Bloch
Implanted technologies to regulate motor and autonomic functions
Biography
Jocelyne Bloch is neurosurgeon, head of the department of neurosurgery at the University Hospital Lausanne (CHUV) where she leads the functional neurosurgery unit, while G. Courtine is a neuroscientist and director of the NeuroX institute with a background in physics. Jocelyne and G. are Professor within the NeuroX institute of the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), within the neurosurgical department of CHUV, and at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lausanne (UNIL). Together, they founded and co-lead the center .NeuroRestore, which develop bioengineering strategies involving neurosurgical interventions to restore neurological functions. In 2014, they. also co-founded ONWARD Medical (Euronext: ONWD) with the aim to translate the therapies developed at .NeuroRestore into clinical treatments. Jocelyne and G. are known worldwide for the conception of neuroprosthetic implants that restored walking in people with paralysis. They were listed in the Top TIME100 Most Influential People in Health in 2024 were recognized among the 50 individuals shaping society in 2025 by The Washington Post during the Post Next event.
Moderator
James Middleton
Clinical Director
New South Wales Agency for Clinical Innovation
