Bridging the Gap Plus Program Overview

The Bridging the Gap Plus (BG+) program will develop new approaches to treating spinal cord injury by integrating injury stabilization, regenerative therapy, and functional restoration. To achieve this combinatorial approach, BG+ teams will build two systems of implantable and adaptive devices. The first system will reduce injury effects during the acute and subacute phases of spinal cord injury. This system will consist of active devices that will perform real-time biomarker monitoring and intervention to stabilize and where possible, rebuild the neural communications pathways at the site of injury, providing the clinician with previously unavailable diagnostic information for automated or clinician-directed interventions. The second system will primarily address recovery of function in the chronic phase. This system will involve stimulation and/or recording devices that may be deployed anywhere on the nervous system or relevant end organs to effectively “bridge the gap” of the spinal cord injury.

A successful BG+ approach will mitigate the early effects of injury, lead to improved awareness and interactive therapies at the penumbral zone to preserve neural function, and restore multiple functions (e.g., movement/sensation, posture/proprioception, bladder, bowel, respiratory). The final deliverables will adapt to the change in injury profile over time, inform new standards of care fro the acute effects of injury, minimize secondary complications,a nd address the long-term dysfunctions that remain for years after injury.

Proposed research should investigate innovative approaches that enable revolutionary advances in science, devices, and systems. While the program will focus on a device that tracks biomarkers that are directly relevant to spinal cord injury, exploration of new biomarkers is out of scope.