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Principal Investigator: DUSTIN J. TYLER
Organization: LOUIS STOKES CLEVELAND VA MEDICAL CENTER
Fiscal Year: 2024
Funding agency: Veterans Affairs
“… to feel my wife’s hand,” he said with tears in his eyes. This was our subject’s response when he was
asked what he wanted to get from participating in our study. His five simple words brought a tectonic shift in
my thinking and provided the deep purpose to my work. Patient’s do not need fancy technology. They need
to feel whole. They need to be connected. As a neural engineer, I develop neural interface technology that
connects to humans. Three additional words are needed to capture my passion and over-arching goal as a
VA Research Career Scientist: I develop nerve interface technology that connects to humans to connect humans.
For nearly thirty years, I have combined a love for electrical engineering (B.S.E.E., 1992, Michigan
Technological Univ, Houghton, MI) and computation algorithms with fascination of the brain and
neuroscience to develop technology for communicating directly with the human nervous system (Ph.D.
Biomedical Engineering, 1999, Case Western Reserve Univ, Cleveland, OH). I am one of the world’s top experts
in development and translation of systems to precisely apply small electrical current injections to nerves to
cause targeted action potentials in nerves. Early in my career, I used this technology to restore lost function
following stroke or paralysis by activating muscles. I still actively collaborate with other VA investigators
(Drs. Ronald Triolo, Gilles Pinault, Bolu Ajiboye, Emily Graczyk, and Robert Kirsch) in a supporting role to
implement neural interface technology in clinical rehabilitation programs for spinal cord injury. A decade
ago, however, I became much more interested in the power of the technology to communicate to the brain
through sensory and autonomic systems. My VA activity fits into three area: 1) sensory technology for
veterans with limb loss; 2) hypertension control in veterans that have not been responsive to medications,
and 3) development of advances in peripheral nerve interface technology. Sensory Technology restores
both functional and emotional connection following limb loss of the upper extremity (with Drs. J. Robert
Anderson, Kevin Malone, Kyle Chepla, and Emily Graczyk) and lower extremity (with Drs. Ronald Triolo,
Gilles Pinault, and Hamid Chakhkar). My lab in the Cleveland VA Medical Center is the first in the world
to have a long-term implant of a peripheral interfaces for sensory restoration following limb loss. Eight
subjects, four with upper extremity and four with lower extremity limb loss, have been implanted. Over the
past four years, I have led a program funded by both the VA and the Defense Advance Research Projects
Agency to develop a fully implantable, Bluetooth®-connected system for bi-directional connection between
and external prosthesis and implanted interfaces. My team has secured all necessary regulatory approvals
to start the world’s first randomized clinical trial (RCT) of neural-connected advanced prostheses. Over the
next four years, this study will complete a critical step in moving the technology to general availability for
all veterans with limb loss. Hyptertension: Neural interface technology is applied to modulate function of
complex regulation of blood pressure. In individuals that are unresponsive to pharmaceutical approaches,
we control hypertension through the baroreflex via activation of the carotid sinus nerve (CSN or Herring’s
nerve) (with Drs. Jonathan Baskin, Gilles Pinault, and Elizabeth Heald). The work is in collaboration with a
commercial partner to rapidly advance the technology benefit veterans within the next five years. Advancing
Interfaces: To continue advancing the clinical capabilities of neural interfaces, advances in technology are
continually needed. I continue pre-clinical development and translation of next generation of peripheral nerve
technology. This includes increasing the number of channels on each electrode and the distribution of the
contact throughout the nerve. This includes collaboration with MEMS fabrication specialist in the Cleveland
VA (Dr. Douglas Shire) and Lawrence Livermore National Lab (Dr. Razi Haque) to develop high-density
FINE and interfascicular nerve electrodes, implantation techniques, and high-density inline connectors.
Terms: <Action Potentials><Address><Advanced Development><Animal Experimental Use><Animal Experimentation><Animal Research><Apoplexy><Area><Award><BP control><BP homeostasis><BP management><BP regulation><Baroreceptor Reflex><Baroreflex><Biomedical Engineering><Blood Pressure><Bluetooth><Body Tissues><Brain><Brain Nervous System><Brain Vascular Accident><Cardiac Chronotropism><Cerebral Stroke><Cerebrovascular Apoplexy><Cerebrovascular Stroke><Chronic><Clinical><Clinical Research><Clinical Study><Clupeidae><Collaborations><Colorado><Communication><Complex><Computational algorithm><Corium><Cutis><Dermis><Development><Devices><Disease><Disorder><Doctor of Philosophy><Drugs><Electrical Engineering><Electrodes><Electromagnetics><Elements><Emotional><Encephalon><Engineering><Esthesia><Extremities><Eye><Eyeball><Florida><Funding><Goals><Government><Grant><Hand><Health><Heart Rate><Histologic><Histologically><Holothuroidea><Human><Hypertension><Implant><Individual><Industry><Injections><Institution><Investigators><Legs Paralysis><Limb structure><Limbs><Love><Lower Extremities Paralysis><Lower Extremity><Lower Limb><Lower Limbs Paralysis><Medical Rehabilitation><Medical center><Medication><Membrum inferius><Membrum superius><Mentors><Methods><Michigan><Mission><Modeling><Modern Man><Movement><Muscle><Muscle Tissue><Nerve><Nervous System><Nervous System Diseases><Nervous System Disorder><Neurologic Body System><Neurologic Deficit><Neurologic Disorders><Neurologic Organ System><Neurological Disorders><Neurosciences><Non-Trunk><Palsy><Paper><Paralysed><Paraplegia><Patients><Pattern><Perception><Peripheral><Peripheral Nerve Stimulation><Peripheral Nerves><Peripheral Nervous System><Ph.D.><PhD><Pharmaceutical Agent><Pharmaceutical Preparations><Pharmaceuticals><Pharmacologic Substance><Pharmacological Substance><Plegia><Privatization><Prostheses and Implants><Prosthesis><Prosthetic device><Prosthetics><QOL><Quadriplegia><Quadriplegic><Quality of life><R-Series Research Projects><R01 Mechanism><R01 Program><Rehabilitation><Rehabilitation therapy><Research><Research Grants><Research Personnel><Research Project Grants><Research Projects><Researchers><Role><Science><Scientist><Sea Cucumbers><Secure><Seminal><Sensation><Sensory><Services><Shapes><Specialist><Spinal Cord Trauma><Spinal Trauma><Spinal cord injured><Spinal cord injury><Stimulus><Stroke><System><Talents><Techniques><Technology><Tetraplegia><Thinking><Tissues><Touch><Touch sensation><Translational Research><Translational Science><Translations><Traumatic Myelopathy><Upper Extremity><Upper Limb><Vascular Hypertensive Disease><Vascular Hypertensive Disorder><Veterans><Walking><Wife><Work><animal experimentations><bio-engineered><bio-engineers><bioengineering><biological engineering><blood pressure control><blood pressure homeostasis><blood pressure management><blood pressure regulation><body movement><brain attack><brain implant><career><career development><carotid sinus><cerebral vascular accident><cerebrovascular accident><clinical translation><clinically translatable><computational neuroscience><computer algorithm><density><design><designing><developmental><drug/agent><experience><fabrication><foot><functional restoration><hands><herring><high blood pressure><hyperpiesia><hyperpiesis><hypertension control><hypertension management><hypertensive disease><hypertensive disorder><implantation><improved><indexing><interest><limb loss><lost limb><multidisciplinary><muscular><nano composite><nano polymer><nanocomposite><nanopolymer><neural><neural control><neural implant><neural regulation><neurological disease><neuromodulation><neuromodulatory><neuroregulation><next generation><paralysis><paralytic><paraplegic><pharmaceutical><pre-clinical development><preclinical development><professor><programs><randomized, clinical trials><regulate BP><regulate blood pressure><rehab therapy><rehabilitative><rehabilitative therapy><response><restoration><restore function><restore functionality><restore lost function><sensory feedback><skills><social role><stroked><strokes><tactile sensation><tech development><technology development><tetraplegic><thoughts><translation><translation research><translational investigation>