Professor Sylvia Gustin from NeuRA and UNSW Science, together with Associate Professor Matthew Brodie from UNSW Engineering and Professor Jane Butler from NeuRA and UNSW Medicine and Health, has been awarded a $2.154 million grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to develop a novel intervention combining haptic virtual reality and spinal cord neuromodulation to restore touch perception in people with complete paraplegia.

The NHMRC’s Ideas Grant scheme supports innovative research projects addressing specific questions, with the intention to foster creative research, fund researchers at all career stages, and support health and medical research from discovery to implementation.

Professor Gustin’s previous research provided the first objective evidence of ​“dis-complete” spinal cord injury (disc-SCI), revealing that, contrary to prior belief, touch signals can still reach the brain in some individuals with complete SCI. This study involved participants with complete SCI undergoing brain imaging while their big toe was stimulated. Although participants did not feel the stimulation, the research team detected significant signals in the brain, with 50% of participants showing activity in brain areas responsible for the perception of touch, such as the somatosensory cortices.

This discovery challenges long-held beliefs that all communication between the body and brain is severed in complete SCI, revealing that the brain is still receiving some sensory signals. This marks the first objective evidence of dis-complete SCI (disc-SCI) — the idea that many individuals with SCI, despite being unable to feel, still have touch information transmitted from the periphery (such as the toes) to the brain.

“This project combines front-line innovation in the basic scientific understanding of spinal cord injury-induced neurological changes with cutting-edge clinical applications of haptic virtual reality and electrical stimulation of the spinal cord and feet to deliver a tangible solution for addressing sensory loss in individuals with spinal cord injuries,” said Professor Gustin.

“Congratulations to Professor Sylvia Gustin and her team on securing this NHMRC Ideas Grant,” said Professor Matthew Kiernan AM, CEO and Institute Director of NeuRA. ​“Professor Gustin’s research exemplifies NeuRA’s focus on translating scientific discoveries into innovative solutions that address community health needs. This research has the potential to enhance rehabilitation and quality of life for individuals living with spinal cord injury, and we look forward seeing the outcomes of this critical work.”

While the recognition of surviving neural pathways in individuals with complete spinal cord injuries offers significant implications for rehabilitation, there are currently no effective biological or pharmacological treatments available to promote or restore touch perception for those living with dis-complete SCI (disc-SCI). To address the critical unmet healthcare needs of people with disc-SCI, Professor Gustin’s team will use funding from this grant to develop and test a novel intervention that combines neuromodulation and stimulation technology with virtual reality.

The proposed VRWalk+ system will integrate synchronised electrical stimulation of the spinal cord and feet with virtual reality-induced walking activity, leveraging the combined effects to promote somatosensory recovery. Participants will use haptic-enabled wearable technology, including exercise boots that deliver electrical stimulation to the feet and ankles in sync with their VR avatar’s movements. To enhance the walking sensation, the team is also designing a wirelessly controlled pedal exerciser equipped with a stepper motor, allowing precise, synchronised leg movement. This approach provides the brain with a sense of walking, retraining it to interpret sensory signals from the feet as touch sensations in a virtual walking environment.

The benefits of the VRWalk+ system will be further amplified by non-invasive spinal cord electrical stimulation, offering a comprehensive and innovative solution to restore sensory function for individuals living with SCI. The project will be conducted in collaboration with researchers from the University of Sydney and Texas A&M University.

Professor Gustin added, ​“We are designing the VRWalk+ system as a home-based intervention, ensuring that every Australian living with spinal cord injury can access the benefits of this innovative technology from the comfort of their own home.”