Rehab Neural Engineering Labs

What Rehab Neural Engineering Labs does

Rehab Neural Engineering Labs (RNEL) is a research laboratory within the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Pittsburgh that develops neural engineering technologies to restore movement and sensation in individuals with neurological impairments. The lab's core technology portfolio spans four interlocking platforms: brain-computer interfaces using chronically implanted microelectrode arrays and ECoG sensors that decode motor intent and deliver somatosensory feedback through intracortical microstimulation; spinal cord stimulation (epidural cervical and lumbosacral) for motor recovery in stroke, sensory restoration in amputees, and function in spinal muscular atrophy; deep brain stimulation targeting the ventral oralis nucleus of the thalamus for post-stroke motor and speech deficits; and neuroprosthetic systems including the FDA-approved MIRA implantable myoelectric recording array and EMG-based prosthetic control schemes. These technologies are evaluated through a portfolio of 13+ active clinical trials at UPMC Mercy and other University of Pittsburgh medical facilities, targeting patient populations with tetraplegia, stroke, amputation, spinal cord injury, and SMA.

The lab operates as a non-commercial academic research entity funded through federal grants (notably a $5M NIH BRAIN Initiative award in December 2017), foundation grants from the SMA Foundation and SMA-Europe, corporate research funding from Genentech, and tax-deductible donations to the RNEL Research Fund via the University of Pittsburgh giving platform. Revenue model is therefore grant-recurring rather than transactional; participants in clinical trials are compensated but are not paying customers, and no commercial products or pricing exist. The lab is led by 9 principal investigators across PM&R, Neurosurgery, Neurology, and Bioengineering, supported by approximately 50 graduate and postdoctoral researchers, and collaborates with Stanford University, Columbia University, and UPMC. Its go-to-market motion is event-driven, relying on clinical trial recruitment through study-specific web pages and earned media coverage in outlets including Wired, NPR, the New York Times, the Washington Post, 60 Minutes, Forbes, and The New Yorker.

Name

Rehab Neural Engineering Labs

Legal name

Rehabilitation and Neural Engineering Laboratory

Website

https://rnel.pitt.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rehab Neural Engineering Labs is a University of Pittsburgh research laboratory that develops brain-computer interfaces, spinal cord stimulation, deep brain stimulation, and neuroprosthetic technologies through clinical trials to restore movement and sensation in individuals with tetraplegia, stroke, amputation, and spinal muscular atrophy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Neural Engineering Research

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Electromedical & Electrotherapeutic Apparatus (3845)

akta.pro primary industry

Neurologic Rehabilitation (Stroke, TBI, Parkinson’s, MS) (HSADAIAC)

Keywords

• Neural engineering research
• Brain-computer interfaces
• Spinal cord stimulation
• Neuroprosthetics research
• Neurorehabilitation clinical trials

Headquarters

HQ city

Pittsburgh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Research Funding and Grants: Funded through federal grants (NIH BRAIN Initiative), foundation grants (Spinal Muscular Atrophy Foundation, SMA-Europe), corporate partnerships (Genentech), and individual donations to the RNEL Research Fund.
2. Donations: Tax-deductible donations to the University of Pittsburgh RNEL Research Fund support research projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

RNEL conducts FDA-supervised clinical trials and engineering research on brain-computer interfaces, spinal cord stimulation, deep brain stimulation, and neuroprosthetic devices to restore movement and sensation in individuals with neurological impairments. The lab recruits research participants for studies targeting spinal cord injury, stroke, amputation, tetraplegia, and spinal muscular atrophy, and does not sell commercial products or services.

Product overview

Rehab Neural Engineering Labs (RNEL) is a research laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh conducting clinical trials in neural engineering and neurorehabilitation. The lab's research encompasses multiple interconnected areas: brain-computer interfaces using microelectrode arrays and ECoG sensors to enable neural control of assistive devices; spinal cord stimulation technologies for stroke recovery, spinal cord injury, and spinal muscular atrophy; neuroprosthetic systems for upper and lower limb amputees including sensory feedback restoration; and wearable sensor technologies for mobility assessment. RNEL does not offer commercial products but conducts FDA-supervised clinical trials. The lab operates as a collaborative research environment led by multiple principal investigators, working with UPMC as the clinical partner institution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sensorimotor Microelectrode Brain-Machine Interface A research clinical trial using implanted microelectrode arrays in the motor cortex and stimulation arrays in the somatosensory cortex to enable neural control of high degree-of-freedom assistive devices such as robotic arms, with somatosensory feedback-enabled control, for individuals with tetraplegia.
• Acute Electrocorticography (ECoG) Direct Brain Interface An FDA-approved electrocorticography-based direct brain interface clinical trial for individuals with upper limb paralysis, enabling control of computer cursors, virtual hands, computer games, and assistive devices through neural activity recorded with an ECoG grid.
• SCS for Stroke Spinal cord and spinal nerve neurostimulation clinical trial to restore arm movement in stroke survivors, with up to 26 study visits over nine months including pre-operative evaluation, outpatient procedure, and testing.
• VOP Stimulation for Stroke Deep brain stimulation clinical trial targeting the ventral oralis nucleus of the thalamus to improve speech and motor deficits following stroke, involving electrode placement and experimental sessions.
• Spinal Plasticity to Reduce Hand Stroke Impairment Non-invasive magnetic stimulation clinical trial using spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) techniques to strengthen the brain-to-muscle signal and improve hand and arm function after stroke.
• Muscle-Based Control of Advanced Upper-Limb Prostheses EMG-based research clinical trial to develop advanced arm prostheses using movement signals from the brain, employing surface and intramuscular electromyography, kinetics, and kinematics to inform biomimetic control schemes for amputees.
• Epidural Spinal Cord Stimulation for Sensory Restoration and Phantom Limb Pain Reduction Clinical trial examining perceived sensations evoked by cervical epidural spinal nerve stimulation, effects on phantom limb pain, and changes in prosthetic hand control with sensory feedback, for upper-limb amputees.
• Spinal Cord Stimulation for Restoration of Function after Lower-Limb Amputation Pilot clinical trial to examine sensations evoked by electrical stimulation of spinal nerves and roots, effects on phantom limb pain, and ability to control a prosthetic limb in lower-limb amputees.
• MIRA (Myoelectric Implantable Recording Array) FDA-approved implantable device clinical trial where participants with transradial amputation are implanted with the Myoelectric Implantable Recording Array (MIRA) for one year to control a myoelectric prosthesis using muscle activity recorded from electrodes implanted in the residual limb.
• Spinal Cord Stimulation in Spinal Muscular Atrophy Pilot clinical trial testing whether Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) is a safe and effective way to improve motor function in people living with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, involving temporary implantation of stimulation leads for up to 29 days.
• Characterizing Activity Patterns After Spinal Cord Injury Clinical trial using wearable sensors to predict mobility at discharge and one year post-discharge based on patient characteristics and activity during inpatient rehabilitation, evaluating functional mobility transitions between walking and wheeling for individuals with spinal cord injury.
• Sensorimotor Imaging for Brain-Computer Interfaces Functional MRI clinical trial to map brain regions for movement signals and sensory awareness associated with movement, creating maps of different kinds of brain activity to support brain-computer interface research in individuals with tetraplegia.
• Able-Bodied Comparison Study for Prosthetics Development Control group research clinical trial providing performance values for comparison to neuroprosthetic study results, involving motor-control experiments with non-invasive control interfaces and sensory stimulation characterization in able-bodied participants.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successful brain-controlled robotic arm with tactile sensation in human trials
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Stanford UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating institution for SCS in SMA research. Tina Duong from Stanford is listed as a collaborator on the SMA study team.
• Columbia UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating institution for SCS in SMA research. George Mentis and Jacqueline Montes from Columbia are listed as collaborators.
• UPMCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary clinical partner providing hospital facilities, neurosurgeons (Peter Gerszten), and medical infrastructure for conducting clinical trials.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RNELabs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rehab-neural-engineering-labs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Rehab Neural Engineering Labs