It’s easy to take the sense of touch or the ability to move for granted, but when a brain injury suddenly robs someone of the connection that comes with holding a loved one’s hand or the ability to simply grasp a cup of coffee, the absence of what is often so basic can be devastating.
Abidemi Bolu Ajiboye, the first Black professor hired in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Case Western Reserve University and its first Black tenured and full professor, is working to bring back touch and motion for those with debilitating conditions.
“We essentially develop technology known as electrodes which can get implanted inside the body to restore function,” Ajiboye said. “Electrodes get implanted inside the paralyzed arm, and when you apply small amounts of electrical stimulation, you can reanimate the paralyzed limb.”
The technology is called functional electrical stimulation (FES) and was featured on a 2023 segment of 60 Minutes on CBS and in a commercial for the university shown during the 2024 Summer Olympics.
“My lab’s focus is also on implanting electrodes inside the brain,” Ajiboye explained. His research aims to understand a person’s intention for moving, whether they want to move their elbow or open their hand, for example.
The work focuses on understanding the language of the brain to decipher or decode intended movements. “Once we do that,” he said, “we can reanimate the limb in the way that the person is intending to move. Essentially, we are circumventing the spinal cord injury to restore movement and reconnecting the hand and arm to the brain.”
Ajiboye received the Distinguished Academic Award at the 2024 African American Alumni Association Awards Celebration for this work. “It definitely makes me proud to be a part of this community specifically here at Case Western Reserve.”