Research Career Scientist

被提名人理查德·F。FF.威尔博士说，研究是为了提高生活质量， 退伍军人和肢体残疾人的信息上肢假肢研究是一个特别感兴趣的领域， 与VA有关。被提名人和他的团队在实验室，VA/CU生物机电一体化发展 实验室，寻求改善假肢的选择，提供给退伍军人与肢体损失，通过应用 开发临床相关假体系统的新方法和创新技术， 解决方案被提名人曾以某种形式从事假肢设计和康复研究， 另一个（学生，博士后，科学家，导师）超过25年，并一直保持校外资金， 在那个时候发展了一个庞大的合作者网络。被提名人在两个VA担任联合任命， 研究职业科学家和UC Denver|生物工程系的安斯图兹医疗中心。的 提名人目前指导1名CDA 2候选人，4名博士候选人和4名MS候选人，并已指导 另有2名CDA候选人，8名博士候选人和22名MS候选人。被提名人曾协助及支持 学员在识别和过渡到翻译职业。 虽然被提名人的个人目标是能够开发出能够 被提名人和他的团队探索了上肢丧失者使用的真正灵巧的操作方法， 问题的各个方面，从神经控制和传感;机电一体化设计和开发;新颖的 致动器技术;新型物理悬挂/接口技术;这些系统的临床部署; 管理幻肢疼痛的方法;对所开发的系统进行临床测试。被提名人有 为几个不同的联邦机构开发先进的假肢系统， 包括退伍军人事务部国家卫生研究院和国防部高级研究计划局在这段时间里，除了作为一个退伍军人事务部研究员和学术研究员， 被提名人完成了成为临床修复师所需的培训，是国家研究主任 高级手臂动力学（AAD）2年，（AAD是上肢假肢护理的国家提供商）， 最近成立了点设计有限责任公司，作为一个管道，他的实验室的发展翻译。 正是这些临床经验告诉被提名人的信念，他应该探索和提供实用的 立即紧迫的临床问题的解决方案，同时也探索的想法，推动目前的信封 技术.被提名人的VA项目旨在解决更直接的临床相关性问题，如我们的 开发适合退伍妇女的人造手指的项目[2 I 01 RX 002830（Weir）]，同时- 通过VA SPiRE [IK 21 RX 003471（Weir）]使用血糖作为新型植入式燃料电池的燃料进行探索。 提名人的大部分非VA研究都围绕着使用光学来询问神经。真灵巧 操纵需要感觉反馈（触摸、压力、力）。因此，需要双向控制接口， 一个用于运动指令，一个用于感觉。提名人正在探索使用光遗传学方法， 非侵入性地激发神经元内的动作电位，作为产生感官知觉的手段。光遗传 迷走神经的神经调节具有达到板的影响的潜力，实际上我们有VA SPiRE 探索迷走神经的光学调制作为PTSD的潜在治疗范例[I21 RX 003894- 01（方丹）]。最近的另一项合作是与Paul Cederna博士合作开发表面肌电传感器 对于他的再生外周神经接口（RPNI），这是令人兴奋的，因为它看起来像是预防性使用 切断神经的RPNI可能有助于减轻幻肢疼痛，幻肢疼痛是假体排斥反应的主要驱动因素， 同时创建/提供额外的独立控制站点。使用RPNI进行控制的障碍有 需要某种植入式传感器[CDMRP W81 XWH 2110771（肯普）]。 总之，我相信我们正在做令人兴奋的和相关的研究，并有保护的努力，这VA RR&D RCS奖项提供了真正的支持。

The over-arching goal of the Nominee’s, Richard F. ff. Weir, PhD, research is to improve the quality-of-life of veterans and individuals with limb loss. Upper-limb prosthetics research is an area of particular interest and relevance to VA. The Nominee and his team at the laboratory, the VA/CU Biomechatronics Development Laboratory, seek to improve the prosthetic options available to veterans with limb loss through the application of novel approaches and innovative technology to the development of clinically relevant prosthetic systems and solutions. The Nominee has been in the field of Prosthesis design and Rehabilitation Research in one form or another (Student, Post-doc, Scientist, Mentor) for over 25 years and has maintained extramural funding and developed a large network of collaborators in that time. The Nominee holds joint appointments at both VA as a Research Career Scientist and UC Denver|Anschtuz Medical Center in the Bioengineering Department. The Nominee currently mentors 1 CDA2 Candidate, 4 PhD candidates and 4 MS candidates and has mentored another 2 CDA Candidates, 8 PhD candidates and 22 MS candidates. The Nominee has aided and supported trainees in identifying and transitioning into translational careers. While it is a personal goal of the Nominee to be able to develop an artificial hand replacement capable of true dexterous manipulation for use by persons with upper-limb loss the Nominee and his team explore all aspects of the problem ranging from neural control and sensing; mechatronic design and development; novel actuator technologies; novel physical suspension/interface techniques; clinical deployment of these systems; methods to manage phantom limb pain; conducting clinical testing of the systems developed. The Nominee has had numerous contracts and grants to develop advanced limb systems for several different Federal agencies including VA, NIH, and DARPA. Over that time, in addition to being a VA Researcher and academic researcher, the Nominee completed the training required to become a clinical prosthetist, was National Director of Research for Advanced Arm Dynamics (AAD) for 2 years, (AAD is a national provider of upper-limb prosthetics care) and most recently founded Point Designs, LLC, as a conduit for translation of his Laboratory’s developments. It is these clinical experiences that inform the Nominee’s belief he should explore and provide practical solutions for immediately pressing clinical problems while also exploring ideas that push the envelope of current technology. The Nominee’s VA projects aim to address issues of more immediate clinical relevance like our project to develop artificial fingers suitable for women veterans [2I01RX002830(Weir)] while at the same time- exploring via a VA SPiRE [IK21RX003471(Weir)] using blood sugar as a fuel for a novel implanted fuel cell. Much of the Nominee’s non-VA research is centered around using optics to interrogate nerves. True dexterous manipulation needs sensory feedback (touch, pressure, force). Thus, a bidirectional control interface is needed, one for motor commands and one for sensation. The Nominee is exploring the use of optogenetic methods to non-invasively excite action potentials within neurons as a means of creating sensory percepts. Optogenetic neuromodulation of the vagus nerve has the potential for board reaching impact and indeed we have a VA SPiRE to explore optical modulation of the vagus as a potential treatment paradigm for PTSD [I21RX003894- 01(Fontaine)]. Another recent collaboration is one with Dr. Paul Cederna to develop a surface myoelectric sensor for his Regenerative peripheral nerve interface (RPNI) this is exciting because it looks like prophylactic use of RPNI’s with cut nerves might help mitigate phantom limb pain, a primary driver of prosthesis rejection, while at the same time creating/providing additional independent control sites. The barrier to using RPNI for control has been the need for some sort of implanted sensor [CDMRP W81XWH2110771(Kemp)]. All in all, I believe we are doing exciting and relevant research and to have the protected effort this VA RR&D RCS award provides has been truly enabling.