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What’s New...What’s New... What’s New...

New Convenient Care Opens FAU Receives $1.3 Million NIH
Grant for Prosthesis Project
on Metro Parkway

The sense of touch is often taken for and regenerate while the hand is operated
granted. For someone without a limb or by limb-absent people.”
hand, losing that sense of touch can be For the study, the neurons will not be
devastating. While highly sophisticated kept in conventional petri dishes. Instead,
prostheses with complex moving fingers they will be placed in biocompatible
and joints are available to mimic almost microfluidic chambers that provide a nur-
every hand motion, they remain difficult turing environment mimicking the basic
and unnatural for the user. This is largely function of living cells. Sarah E. Du,
because they lack the tactile experience Ph.D., co-principal investigator, an assis-
that guides every movement. This void in tant professor in FAU’s Department of
sensation results in limited use or aban- Ocean and Mechanical Engineering, and
donment of these very expensive artificial an expert in the emerging field of
devices. So why not make a prosthesis microfluidics, has developed these tiny
that can actually “feel” its environment? customized artificial chambers with
That is exactly what an interdisciplinary embedded micro-electrodes. The research
team of scientists from Florida Atlantic team will be able to stimulate the neurons
University and the University of Utah with electrical impulses from the robot’s
School of Medicine aims to do. They are hand to help regrowth after injury. They
developing a first-of-its-kind bioengi- will morphologically and electrically
neered robotic hand that will grow and measure in real-time how much neural
adapt to its environment. tissue has been restored.
This “living” robot will have its own Jianning Wei, Ph.D., co-principal
Lee Health recently opened the doors of its fourth Convenient Care in the peripheral nervous system directly linking investigator, an associate professor of
Outpatient Center at 13340 Metro Parkway. robotic sensors and actuators. FAU’s biomedical science in FAU’s Charles E.
Convenient Care offers an alternative to the emergency department for treat- College of Engineering and Computer Schmidt College of Medicine, and an
ment of nonlife-threatening injury or illness with the expertise of skilled physi- Science is leading the multidisciplinary expert in neural damage and regenera-
cians in a state-of-the-art clinic. The Convenient Care has 17 exam rooms, team that has received a four-year, $1.3 tion, will prepare the neurons in vitro,
including three procedure rooms for laceration repair and abscesses. Convenient million grant from the National Institute observe them grow and see how they
Care medical centers are ideal for sprains, strains, cuts, rashes, cold and flu, auto of Biomedical Imaging and Bio - fare and regenerate in the aftermath of
and work-related injuries, and school or sports physicals. Each site is equipped engineering of the National Institutes of injury. This “virtual” method will give
with x-ray capabilities for fractures and broken bones (not protruding through Health for a project titled “Virtual the research team multiple opportunities
the skin).
Neuroprosthesis: Restoring Autonomy to to test and retest the nerves.
People Suffering from Neurotrauma.” Using an electroencephalogram (EEG)
With expertise in robotics, bioengi- to detect electrical activity in the brain,
neering, behavioral science, nerve regen- Emmanuelle Tognoli, Ph.D., co-princi-
eration, electrophysiology, microfluidic pal investigator, associate research pro-
West Boca Medical Center Opens devices, and orthopedic surgery, the fessor in FAU’s Center for Complex
research team is creating a living path- Systems and Brain Sciences in the
Senior Care ER way from the robot’s touch sensation to Charles E. Schmidt College of Science,
the user’s brain to help amputees control
and an expert in electrophysiology and
the robotic hand. A neuroprosthesis neural, behavioral, and cognitive sci-
platform will enable them to explore ences, will examine how the tactile
how neurons and behavior can work information from the robotic sensors is
together to regenerate the sensation of passed onto the brain to distinguish sce-
touch in an artificial limb. narios with successful or unsuccessful
At the core of this project is a cutting- functional restoration of the sense of
edge robotic hand and arm developed in touch. Her objective: to understand how
the BioRobotics Laboratory in FAU’s behavior helps nerve regeneration and
College of Engineering and Computer how this nerve regeneration helps the
Science. Just like human fingertips, the behavior.
robotic hand is equipped with numerous Once the nerve impulses from the
sensory receptors that respond to changes robot’s tactile sensors have gone through
in the environment. Controlled by a the microfluidic chamber, they are sent
human, it can sense pressure changes, back to the human user manipulating the
interpret the information it is receiving robotic hand. This is done with a special
and interact with various objects. It device that converts the signals coming
adjusts its grip based on an object’s weight from the microfluidic chambers into a
or fragility. But the real challenge is figur- controllable pressure at a cuff placed on
ing out how to send that information back the remaining portion of the amputated
to the brain using living residual neural person’s arm. Users will know if they are
pathways to replace those that have been squeezing the object too hard or if they are
damaged or destroyed by trauma. losing their grip.
“When the peripheral nerve is cut or Engeberg also is working with Douglas
West Boca Medical Center is adapting to accommodate the needs of our aging popu- damaged, it uses the rich electrical activity T. Hutchinson, M.D., co-principal investi-
lation by opening a Senior Care Emergency Room (ER). The Senior Care ER at West that tactile receptors create to restore gator and a professor in the Department of
Boca Medical Center, will focus on emergency care for senior patients, and is designed itself. We want to examine how the finger- Orthopedics at the University of Utah
to increase patient comfort, and provide greater aid for this growing segment of our pop- tip sensors can help damaged or severed School of Medicine, who specializes in
ulation. nerves regenerate,” said Erik Engeberg, hand and orthopedic surgery.
The Senior Care Emergency Room is the first program in Boca Raton exclusively ded- Ph.D., principal investigator, an associate They are developing a set of tasks and
icated to meeting the needs of patients age 65 and up. The Senior Care ER will include professor in FAU’s Department of Ocean behavioral neural indicators of perform-
4 private bays and will be equipped to help increase patient comfort and reduce wait and Mechanical Engineering, and director ance that will ultimately reveal how to
time. The Senior ER Care team consists of board-certified emergency physicians, nurs- of FAU’s BioRobotics Laboratory. promote a healthy sensation of touch in
es, pharmacists, social workers and case managers to help ensure excellent patient care “To accomplish this, we are going to amputees and limb-absent people using
and coordinated after-care follow up. directly connect these living nerves in robotic devices. The research team also is
It will have soothing lights, nonskid floor surfaces to help prevent falls, thicker mat- vitro and then electrically stimulate them seeking a post-doctoral researcher with
tresses for comfort, easy access lounge chairs, and handrails throughout the ER to make on a daily basis with sensors from the multi-disciplinary experience to work on
our senior patients feel as comfortable as possible while we care for them. robotic hand to see how the nerves grow this breakthrough project.

14 December 2017 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News