# Development of the Osseointegrated Neural Interface for prosthetic control into a pre-clinical translational sheep model.

> **NIH VA I01** · WM S. MIDDLETON MEMORIAL VETERANS HOSP · 2020 · —

## Abstract

Clinical significance: Major amputation of a limb has a significant impact on an individual's quality of life, as
well as directly affecting family members and the greater community. Veterans represent a unique population
that are more greatly affected by amputation than the civilian population. The etiology of amputation in
veterans is twofold. At one end of the spectrum there are the inevitable traumatic injuries of modern combat,
particularly blast wounds from improvised explosives. These injuries predominantly affect young warriors, both
male and female, under 30 years of age, who are increasingly experiencing major traumatic amputations of
more than one limb at a time. At the other end of the spectrum, the aging veteran population is increasingly
undergoing lower limb amputation secondary to peripheral arterial disease. Regardless of cause, most
veterans live for many years after amputation, and bear the significant disabilities associated with losing one or
more limbs. As such, there is an increasing demand for both the Department of Defense (DOD) and
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide long-term financial and medical support to veteran amputees.
Veteran and civilian amputees share the same physical and social determinants to quality of life, such as ability
to participate in activity and pain management. The new age of robotic prostheses holds great promise for
alleviating many if not all restrictions to physical activity and participation in greater society. However, the
ability to seamlessly control a prosthesis as if the device were the original limb remains a futuristic goal. To
specifically address the urgent need for better prosthesis control, we have devised the novel Osseointegrated
Neural Interface (ONI) for prosthesis control on several fronts simultaneously. The ONI combines modern
surgical procedures with state-of-the-art neural interfacing technology and osseointegration to form a single,
compact unit, inside the medullary canal of the amputated limb. We have previously demonstrated in rabbits
that an ONI is capable of bi-directional neural signaling, including motor signal output and sensory input that
would serve for prosthesis control. Consequently, the objective of this grant is to translate our rabbit ONI model
for prosthetic control into a preclinical large animal ovine (sheep) model, and implement a closed loop,
osseointegrated, neural prosthetic with sensory feedback to be studied in a rehabilitation setting for future
clinical translation. Our long-term goal is the clinical application of our novel ONI for prosthetic control to serve
the veteran amputee community.
Proposed Methods: A below knee amputation will be performed in a total of 10 skeletally mature sheep. An
ONI will be created at the time of amputation by translocating the tibial, sural, and common peroneal nerves
into the medullary canal of the amputated tibia via a corticotomy. The terminal ends of the nerves will be
interfaced with cuff electro...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9836222
- **Project number:** 1I01RX003129-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** WM S. MIDDLETON MEMORIAL VETERANS HOSP
- **Principal Investigator:** Samuel Poore
- **Activity code:** I01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2019-11-01 → 2023-10-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9836222

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9836222, Development of the Osseointegrated Neural Interface for prosthetic control into a pre-clinical translational sheep model. (1I01RX003129-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9836222. Licensed CC0.

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