By Cecile Mantovani and Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Reuters) – Marc Gauthier, a long-term Parkinson’s disease patient, experienced a newfound sense of freedom after becoming the first recipient of a groundbreaking Swiss-designed implant. The implant, developed at Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), consists of an electrode field placed against Gauthier’s spinal cord and an electrical impulse generator beneath the skin of his abdomen. This innovative device stimulates his leg muscles by activating his spinal cord, resulting in a significant improvement in his ability to walk.
Gauthier, a 63-year-old native of Bordeaux, France, expressed his gratitude for the implant’s life-altering effects during a meeting with his doctors at CHUV. He stated, “It changed my life because I’m now independent. I can leave my home, run errands, and even go on foot.”
Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative neurological disorder characterized by symptoms such as tremors, stiffness, and difficulties with balance and coordination. Unfortunately, the number of people affected by this disease has doubled over the past 25 years, as reported by the World Health Organization. In 2019 alone, over 8.5 million individuals worldwide suffered from Parkinson’s.
The project’s lead doctor, Grégoire Courtine, emphasized the success of the implant by stating that the electrical pulses delivered to Gauthier’s spinal cord enabled him to walk as he would have without the disease. Courtine, who is also a neuroscience professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), the University of Lausanne, and CHUV, expressed his belief that many individuals with advanced Parkinson’s could benefit from this therapy.
In an article published in the Nature Medicine journal, Courtine’s team at the NeuroRestore research center detailed their findings, highlighting the potential for widespread use of this technology in patients suffering from severe mobility issues associated with Parkinson’s. The implant, designed by Onward Medical, is distinct in its ability to precisely and flexibly target the spinal cord, differentiating it from other implantable devices used for pain management and defibrillators. Dave Marver, the CEO of Onward Medical, described the implant as offering a unique therapeutic solution that doesn’t currently exist.
The next step for Courtine’s team involves conducting clinical tests on six additional patients next year. Jocelyne Bloch, the neurosurgeon who performed the surgery on Gauthier and is a co-director of NeuroRestore, expressed her optimism regarding the therapy’s potential impact on patients’ quality of life. She believes that if individuals can regain confidence, engage in better social interactions, and participate in more activities, it will greatly enhance their daily lives.
(Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber, Cécile Mantovani, and Denis Balibouse; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
