Electrical Stimulation
for Neural Repair

Xilin Liu is an Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Toronto. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, USA. Before joining the University of Toronto, he held industrial positions at Qualcomm, USA. His research interests include mixed-signal IC and bioelectronics design with edge machine learning, especially for neural interfaces and brain-machine interfaces. He has co-authored two books along with publications on Nature Electronics, PNAS, and top-tier IEEE transactions. His first-author papers have received three Best Paper Awards at renowned international conferences. He also received the Solid-State Circuits Society (SSCS) Predoctoral Achievement Award in 2016. His industrial experience includes contributions to premium IC products including the world’s first commercial 5G chipset.

Luka Milosevic received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Toronto, after which he pursued a Postdoctoral Fellowship at University of Tübingen Institute for Neuromodulation and Neurotechnology, Germany. He is currently a Scientist at the Krembil Research Institute, Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto Institute of Biomedical Engineering, and an Affiliate Scientist at the KITE Research Institute. Dr. Milosevic also plays a clinical role monitoring patients’ brain activity to guide the placement of deep brain stimulation devices at the Toronto Western Hospital. His research is at the intersection of biomedical engineering and human neurophysiology and the focus of his program is on the development of novel data-driven methods of brain stimulation to treat individuals with neurological disorders. Dr. Milosevic’s research focuses on the application of biomedical signal processing, machine learning, and computational modelling techniques in the context of human brain research. The main interests of his research include neurophysiological mechanisms of action of deep brain stimulation, synaptic plasticity, and pathophysiological processes in Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders.

Dr. Mushahwar is a Professor in the Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. An engineer by training (electrical), Dr. Mushahwar obtained her Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from the University of Utah. Research in the Mushahwar lab focuses on many aspects such as the restoration of standing and walking after spinal cord injury and the detection and prevention of deep tissue pressure sores using functional electrical stimulation (FES) techniques. The Mushahwar lab is working with other groups of the Project SMART team to develop implantable devices that utilize intraspinal microstimulation (ISMS) to stimulate the "control centre" for standing and stepping in the spinal cord and thereby restore this ability after spinal cord injury. In addition, in collaboration with researchers in the Stein, Chan, and Dukelow research groups, Mushahwar’s lab is developing a garment to detect and prevent the onset of pressure sores in wheelchair and bed ridden patients.

Dr. Ken Yoshida is a professor at the Department of Biomedical Engineering at IUPUI. His work is on engineering bioelectric phenomena to interface with the body's communication systems, translate neuroscience to therapies, develop bioelectronic medicines and improve the quality of life of those with sensory-motor injuries and diseases. The research conducted in his laboratory spans multiple disciplines and interests. Research areas include: •Disruptive technologies, •Instrumentation, system control, signal processing •Basic science •Neural interfaces •Biointegration & biocomptability •Biophysics & modeling •Sensory-motor bioelectronic therapies

Dr. Zariffa is a Senior Scientist in the Neural Engineering and Therapeutics team at KITE and an Associate Professor at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto. He received his Ph.D. degree in electrical and biomedical engineering from the University of Toronto. He then completed post-doctoral fellowships at the International Collaboration On Repair Discoveries (ICORD) in Vancouver, Canada, and at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. Dr. Zariffa’s research focuses on developing technology for upper limb neurorehabilitation. For example, to evaluate the true impact of rehabilitation strategies on daily life, his team is developing a system to measure hand function at home using wearable cameras. Looking at the next generation of assistive technologies, he is learning how to intercept and interpret neural signals to create direct interfaces with the nervous system. He is a recipient of an Ontario Early Researcher Award and his team was awarded the Grant Prize in the Spinal Cord Rehab Innovation Challenge in 2021.