Spinal Cord Injury Lab

About

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a systematic disease affecting multiple systems. Our goals are to holistically restore or improve the multiple interrelated systems after SCI using multimodal and combinatorial approaches to restore paralysis and reduce or reverse derangements in systems including locomotor, bowel, bladder, cardiovascular regulation, inflammation, and metabolic function. We employ neuromodulatory approaches because they target multiple systems and can be used alone or in combination with other promising therapies e.g. neuroprotective, neuroregenerative agents. Much of our neuromodulatory animal research is done using the Yucatan minipig which has high translational value given the large spinal cord size, a greater CSF/cord ration, and physiologic and neuroanatomic similarities to the human spinal cord. A goal of the lab is to develop multimodal approaches including novel neuroimaging, electrophyiology, neuromodulatory strategies that can be used to address fundamental questions in SCI research and overcome barriers to understanding neurophysiology and neuroplasticity of neuronal networks and design neurorestorative therapies to prevent or reverse systemic derangements.

Our Mission is to create imaginative therapies and make groundbreaking discoveries in research in neurophysiology, neuroimaging, neurobiology, neuroplasticity, neuromodulation, and biology of spinal cord injury systems and networks in order to cure paralysis, end pain and suffering, and make a lasting difference in the health and quality of life for patients with spinal cord injury.

Key Research Areas

• To improve the current technology for epidural stimulation
• To develop techniques for activation and seamless integration of multiple physiological systems
• To understand the mechanisms of epidural stimulation
• To improve surgical techniques and safety of epidural stimulation
• To develop algorithms to improve the results of epidural neuromodulation to achieve ambulatory function in all patients in an efficient and rapid fashion
• To understand and quantify the range of benefits of scES on multiple physiological systems
• To obtain regulatory approval for scES and understand the role of scES in armamentarium of treatments for SCI
• To compare epistim to other emerging neuromodulatory technologies
• To combine epidural stimulation with other therapies for SCI

Team

• Maxwell Boakye, MD, MPH, MBA, FACS – Spinal Cord Injury Lab Founder and Director, Professor of Neurological Surgery at UofL
• Beatrice Ugiliweneza, PhD, MSPH – Biostatistics Team, Associate Professor of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology at UofL
• Dena R. Howland, Ph.D. – Professor, Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center
• David Magnuson, Ph.D. – Professor, Department of Neurological Surgery
• Gina Bertocci, Ph.D. – Professor, Department of Bioengineering
• Charles Hubscher, Ph.D. – Professor, Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology
• Robert Bert, M.D., Ph.D. – Professor, Department of Radiology
• Junqian (Gordon) Xu, Ph.D. – Assistant Professor of Radiology and Neuroscience at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
• Matt Budde, Ph.D. – Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at Medical College of Wisconsin
• MJ Negahdar, Ph.D., MBA – Assistant Professor, Department of Radiology
• Susan Harkema, Ph.D. – Collaborator
• Claudia Angeli, Ph.D. - Collaborator
• Enrico Rejc, Ph.D. - Collaborator
• Vivian Musharwar, Ph.D. - Collaborator
• Alex Ovechkin, M.D., Ph.D. – Associate Professor, Department of Neurological Surgery
• Thomas Abell, M.D. – Professor of Medicine, Chair of Gastroenterology
• Ona Bloom, Ph.D. – Professor, Department of Molecular Medicine and Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research
• Sriprakash Mokshagundam, M.D. – Professor of Medicine, Division Chief of Endocrinology, Metabolism & Diabetes
• Leslie Sherwood, DVM – Professor & Associate Vice President Research Services, Director Comparative Medicine Research Unit, Attending Veterinarian
• Steven Davison, DVM – Associate Professor and Clinical Veterinarian for the Research Resources Facility
• Michael Voor, Ph.D. – Associate Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
• Jeff Petruska, Ph.D. – Associate Professor, Department of Anatomical Sciences & Neurobiology
• Destiny Young – Lab Manager

Recent Publications

• Dietz N, Alkin V, Agarwal N, Bjurström MF, Ugiliweneza B, Wang D, Sharma M, Drazin D, Boakye M. Polypharmacy in spinal cord injury: Matched cohort analysis comparing drug classes, medical complications, and healthcare utilization metrics with 24-month follow-up. J Spinal Cord Med. 2024 Jul 22:1-10. doi: 10.1080/10790268.2024.2375892. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39037335.
• Smith AC, Ahmed RU, Weber KA 2nd, Negahdar M, Gibson D, Boakye M, Rejc E. Spinal cord lesion MRI and behavioral outcomes in a miniature pig model of spinal cord injury: exploring preclinical potential through an ad hoc comparison with human SCI. Spinal Cord Ser Cases. 2024 Jul 8;10(1):44. doi: 10.1038/s41394-024-00658-x. PMID: 38977671; PMCID: PMC11231227.
• Ugiliweneza B, Wang D, Rood B, Boakye M, Castillo C, Hetman M. Increased Incidence of Depression and Chronic Pain in Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury Patients With Pre-Injury Alcohol Use Disorder: Longitudinal Analysis of Insurance Claim Database. Neurotrauma Rep. 2024 Jan 12;5(1):28-36. doi: 10.1089/neur.2023.0096. PMID: 38249325; PMCID: PMC10797174.
• Ahmed RU, Medina-Aguinaga D, Adams S, Knibbe CA, Morgan M, Gibson D, Kim JW, Sharma M, Chopra M, Davison S, Sherwood LC, Negahdar MJ, Bert R, Ugiliweneza B, Hubscher C, Budde MD, Xu J, Boakye M. Predictive values of spinal cord diffusion magnetic resonance imaging to characterize outcomes after contusion injury. Ann Clin Transl Neurol. 2023 Sep;10(9):1647-1661. doi: 10.1002/acn3.51855. Epub 2023 Jul 27. PMID: 37501362; PMCID: PMC10502634.
• Kumar N, Palmisciano P, Dhawan S, Boakye M, Drazin D, Sharma M. Spontaneous Spinal Hematoma in Patients Using Antiplatelets and Anticoagulants: A Systematic Review. World Neurosurg. 2024 Apr;184:e185-e194. doi: 10.1016/j.wneu.2024.01.082. Epub 2024 Jan 24. PMID: 38278210.
• Wilkinson RL, Isakov RV, Anele UA, Castillo C, Herrity A, Sharma M, Wang D, Boakye M, Ugiliweneza B. Depression phenotypes in spinal cord injury and impact on post-injury healthcare utilization and cost: Analysis using a large claim database. J Spinal Cord Med. 2024 Nov;47(6):902-917. doi: 10.1080/10790268.2023.2223446. Epub 2023 Jul 11. PMID: 37432058; PMCID: PMC11533263.
• Knibbe CA, Ahmed RU, Wilkins F, Sharma M, Ethridge J, Morgan M, Gibson D, Cooper KB, Howland DR, Vadhanam MV, Barve SS, Davison S, Sherwood LC, Semler J, Abell T, Boakye M. SmartPill™ Administration to Assess Gastrointestinal Function after Spinal Cord Injury in a Porcine Model-A Preliminary Study. Biomedicines. 2023 Jun 7;11(6):1660. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines11061660. PMID: 37371755; PMCID: PMC10295578.
• Morrison D, Pinpin C, Lee A, Sison C, Chory A, Gregersen PK, Forrest G, Kirshblum S, Harkema SJ, Boakye M, Harrop JS, Bryce TN, Schwab JM, Kwon BK, Stein AB, Bank MA, Bloom O. Profiling Immunological Phenotypes in Individuals During the First Year After Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: A Longitudinal Analysis. J Neurotrauma. 2023 Dec;40(23-24):2621-2637. doi: 10.1089/neu.2022.0500. Epub 2023 Jul 19. PMID: 37221869; PMCID:  MC10722895.
• Angeli C, Rejc E, Boakye M, Herrity A, Mesbah S, Hubscher C, Forrest G, Harkema S. Targeted Selection of Stimulation Parameters for Restoration of Motor and Autonomic Function in Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury. Neuromodulation. 2024 Jun;27(4):645-660. doi: 10.1016/j.neurom.2023.03.014. Epub 2023 May 4. PMID: 37140522; PMCID: PMC10624649.
• Chow DS, Nguyen A, Park J, Wu L, Toups EG, Harrop JS, Guest JD, Schmitt KM, Aarabi B, Fehlings MG, Boakye M, Grossman RG. Riluzole in Spinal Cord Injury Study (RISCIS)-Pharmacokinetic (PK) Sub-Study: An Analysis of Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics, and Impact on Axonal Degradation of Riluzole in Patients With Traumatic Cervical Spinal Cord Injury Enrolled in the RISCIS Phase III Randomized Controlled Trial. J Neurotrauma. 2023 Sep;40(17-18):1889-1906. doi: 10.1089/neu.2022.0499. PMID: 37130044.