Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago

Research program: sralab's research program is the world's largest physical rehabilitation research enterprise in pursuit of clinical advancement through scientific discovery. in fiscal year 2024, the research program had approximately 140 research projects underway, funded by more than $170 million in grants and donations from both private and public sources. its experts regularly publish research in the world's foremost medical journals, including the journal of the american medical association (jama) and its european equivalent, the lancet, and it is home to six federal research designations to develop cutting-edge solutions for patients. biologics lab and aphasia research integration: we have integrated our biologics laboratory with the rest of the hospital in the aphasia research program. we are now genetically sequencing patients in the stroke rehabilitation program to understand the genetic basis (if any) for response to therapy. this work was funded by nidilrr. the nidilrr-funded center is especially for patients with hemispheric stroke - the most debilitating kind. initial results have demonstrated a biological basis for response to therapy. based on new studies from adult stem cells in patients with cerebral palsy (cp), we have begun the first-of-its-kind drug repurposing study in these patients in an attempt to relieve painful and disfiguring muscle contractures. manipulation and mobility technologies: a nidilrr-funded rehabilitation engineering research center award to fund six new projects researching innovations that are directly useful for patients, especially those who have experienced limb-loss or stroke. projects include body-powered hand prostheses, use of powered exoskeleton for after-stroke patients, and a new wheelchair to allow both sitting and standing. research will include both technology development and clinical testing. health and function in physical disability: this rehabilitation and training center, funded by nidilrr, was created to develop, evaluate, and implement methods to promote optimal health and function of people with physical disabilities. through a variety of research, training and dissemination activities, we have begun to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the efficacy and value of various interventions for achieving and maintaining health and function for people with a disability. we have also created a mentoring program to encourage and train the next generation of rehabilitation researchers. spinal cord injury research: sralab operates the midwest regional spinal cord injury care system as designated by nidilrr. one of only 14 sci model systems nationwide, sralab advances spinal cord care through clinical research that identifies new standards of care for the industry. it leads multiple independent and collaborative research projects exploring walking therapy technologies that deliver the most effective treatment to advance ability. this year we completed the first part of a unique pharmacological treatment of chronic spinal cord injury as the only center in the world with this drug. engineering research: this project established a nidilrr-funded rehabilitation engineering research center, collaborative machines enhancing therapies (comet), focusing on advancing technologies that work in partnership with patients and clinicians to enhance gait and dexterity outcomes for individuals with stroke and spinal cord injury (sci) and other people with disabilities in a real-life rehabilitation setting. this project is based at sralab and leads four other major research universities around the united states. wearable and mobile sensors: this center continues the "center for smart use of technologies to assess real world outcomes" known as (cstar). this center serves as a national resource for rehabilitation professionals attempting to measure patient function in objective manners outside of the traditional clinical environment. our partnership allows us to leverage the collective e