The BodyMind Connection

Rolex's Perpetual Planet initiative recognises and supports Grégoire Courtine's pioneering technology that restores mobility after paralysis  

- Amrita Katara

In the picturesque fields of Switzerland, a breakthrough in medical technology is giving hope to those paralysed by spinal cord injuries. Under the leadership of 2019 Rolex Awards for Enterprise Laureate Grégoire Courtine, researchers have created an implantable device that bridges the gap between the brain and spine, allowing paralysed patients to walk again simply by thinking about it.

Courtine, a neuroscientist, and co-director of a research, innovation and treatment centre called Laboratoire NeuroRestore, has dedicated his career to finding a cure for paralysis caused by spinal cord injury. Along with his research partner and co-director Jocelyne Bloch, a neurosurgeon, he pioneered a spinal treatment called Epidural Electrical Stimulation (EES) that delivers electrical pulses to the spinal cord below the injury site. This stimulation of the nerves and muscles enables movement and mobility.