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22 Around 200 Kiwis suffer spinal cord injuries each year. Shattering the signal between the brain and body, these injuries have a massive impact on people’s quality of life. Spinal cord injury: Hope for treatment Unlike skin, the spinal cord doesn’t regenerate effectively, making spinal cord injuries devastating and currently incurable. Dr Bruce Harland, a senior research fellow at the University of Auckland, is on amission tomake a difference. An implantable electronic device has restoredmovement following spinal cord injury in an animal study, raising hopes for an effective treatment for humans and even their pets. “Wedevelopedanultra-thin implantdesignedtosit directlyon thespinal cord, preciselypositionedover the injurysite in rats,” Brucesays. Acarefully controlledelectrical currentwas thendelivered across the injurysitetohelp stimulatecell regeneration. After fourweeks, animals that receiveddailyelectricfieldtreatment showedbettermovement than thosethatdidnot, andresponded morequickly togentletouch. “This indicates that the treatment supported recovery of both movement and sensation,” he says. “Just as importantly, our analysis confirmed that the treatment did not cause inflammation or other damage to the spinal cord, demonstrating that it was not only effective but also safe.” The next step is to explore howdifferent doses, including the strength, frequency, andduration of the treatment, affect recovery, todiscover themost effective recipe for spinal cord repair. In 2019 the Neurological Foundation provided Bruce’s first grant as Principal Investigator, which enabled him to attract further funding fromCatWalk Trust, the Health Research Council, the Maurice and Phyllis Paykel Trust, and the USA Department of Defence Congressional Medical Fund. Supported by the Foundation, he talked about the team’s significant progress at the 2024 Australasian Neurotrauma Symposium. Bruce is currently supported by a prestigious Sir Charles Hercus Health Research Fellowship from the Health Research Council. The wider team, and Bruce’s research, is supported by the CatWalk Cure Programme, established in 2024.