LOS ANGELES, Oct. 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Shirley Ryan AbilityLab today hosts a symposium in Chicago to celebrate the pioneering work of UCLA's Prof. Reggie Edgerton. The symposium takes place prior to Neuroscience 2019, the premier venue for neuroscientists to present emerging science, learn from experts, forge collaborations with peers, explore new tools and technologies, and advance careers.

Prof. Reggie Edgerton is being recognized for his lifetime of research by a distinguished panel of international leaders in the field of Neuroscience. Professor Edgerton is the Director of the Neuromuscular Research Laboratory and a Distinguished Professor of the Departments of Integrative Biology and Physiology, Neurobiology and Neurosurgery at UCLA. Additionally, Prof. Edgerton has been recently selected as Director of a state-of-the-art research laboratory focused on Spinal cord injury at the University of Technology, Sydney in 2020. He has been teaching and conducting research at UCLA for over 40 years. His research is focused on how the neural networks in the lumbar spinal cord of mammals, including humans, regain control of standing, stepping and voluntary control of fine movements after paralysis, and how can these motor functions be modified by chronically imposing activity-dependent interventions after spinal cord injury.  

Considered the "Father of modern spinal neuromodulation," Prof. Edgerton has published over 500 papers on muscle fiber types, muscle design and plasticity, and spinal cord injury and rehabilitation. He continues to compile scientific evidence in humans who have been paralyzed for years. Edgerton's work has demonstrated that they can improve a variety of motor functions within days of receiving neuromodulatory therapy, including hand and leg movement, trunk stability, cardiovascular stability, and bladder and bowel function. Several high-profile researchers focused on spinal neuromodulation from around the world earned their wings under Prof Edgerton. "In the past 10 years we have reached a new era in Spinal Cord Injury rehabilitation, and I'm extremely honored that my colleagues are celebrating my lifework. I'm optimistic that together we will accelerate this progress and bring real hope of restoration for lost motor and physiological function to patients," said Prof. Edgerton ahead of the event. To bring some of these technologies to the patients that need it the most, Dr. Edgerton co-founded spineX Inc. a Los Angeles based company focused on commercializing spinal neuromodulation technology.

Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago is dedicated to providing the best patient outcomes through the highest-quality clinical care, translational research, scientific discovery and education. The research hospital's Chief Scientific Officer, Richard L. Lieber, discussed the importance of Prof. Edgerton's work. "Reggie Edgerton has made a monumental impact in the fields of neuromuscular physiology and rehabilitation — from his fiber type work in the 1960s to demonstrating that completely paralyzed people can be trained to walk. This symposium is a tribute to him, organized by many of his colleagues from around the world."

About the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab:
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, formerly the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), is the global leader in physical medicine and rehabilitation for adults and children with the most severe, complex conditions — from traumatic brain and spinal cord injury to stroke, amputation and cancer-related impairment. The organization expands and accelerates leadership in the field that began at RIC in 1953. The quality of its care and research has led to the designation of "No. 1 Rehabilitation Hospital in America" by U.S. News & World Report every year since 1991.

Contact: Kate Gunning
Ph: (415) 378 9831

SOURCE spinex Inc.