An assistant professor at the Cullen College of Engineering has received $629,000 in funding to conduct research into helping patients recover after spinal cord injuries.
Zhengwei Li is an assistant professor and Presidential Frontier Faculty Fellow in the Biomedical Engineering Department, with a joint appointment in the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine. His proposal, “Wireless, Closed-Loop System to Restore Urological Dysfunction after Spinal Cord Injury,” was selected for funding by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, which is under the umbrella of the National Institutes of Health.
The Trailblazer R21 Award supports new and early-stage investigators pursuing research programs that are of high interest to the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, at the interface of life sciences with engineering and the physical sciences.
According to the project summary, more than 70 percent of people that suffer a severe, high-level spinal cord injury will develop serious bladder and urological complications. Current treatments are limited and the complications rates can be significant using stent implantations or other surgical procedures.
The goal of Li’s research is to develop a novel wireless implantable bioelectronic system capable of supporting an AI algorithm for autonomous, closed-loop neuromodulation of these issues.
Li noted that if successful, the technology platform could be easily adapted to address a range of application possibilities beyond those associated with the bladder, and have a significant impact in field of rehabilitation and regeneration.
This prestigious NIH trailblazer award underscores Li’s leadership in bioelectronics research and reflects national recognition of his work at the intersection of engineering and medicine. The project is expected to pave the way for transformative, minimally invasive solutions to complex neuro-urological disorders.
Li joined UH in Fall 2022. His research interests focus on the interface between human and machines to create novel materials, devices and robotics for a wide range of healthcare and biomedical applications. Current research topics include curvy wearable electronics, biohybrid living robotics (‘Bio-bots’), biomedical devices and instrumentations, bioelectronics neural interfaces, and bioinspired and biohybrid systems.
There are currently openings in Li’s lab. For more information about these or about his research, visit his group’s webpage here.