Dr. Brian Kwon receives a C$2.2 million grant from the US Department of Defense to spearhead research in bladder control for individuals with spinal cord injuries

An international research team, led by Dr. Brian Kwon at the University of British Columbia, has been awarded a 3-year grant of $1.7 million USD (approximately 2.2 million CAD) from the US Department of Defense (DoD) to embark upon a groundbreaking research project aimed at enhancing bladder function for individuals who have sustained a spinal cord injury (SCI).    

The multi-disciplinary team, co-led by Dr. Dennis Bourbeau of the Neural Engineering Center at Case Western University, will explore the potential of sacral neuromodulation (SNM) as a solution for improving bladder control after SCI. Because SNM is currently used for overactive bladder symptoms in non-SCI individuals, it has the potential to be very useful in the setting of SCI to improve bladder storage and emptying. This could transform care practices and ultimately improve the quality of life for those affected.

With the support of a DoD grant awarded in 2019, Dr. Kwon has worked with Dr. Margot Damaser and Dr. Steve Majerus at the Cleveland Clinic to test and refine a novel wireless pressure-monitoring sensor for the bladder called the “Urodynamics Monitor.” The goal of the recently awarded DoD grant is to take this innovative technology one step further by determining how the pressure signals from the Urodynamics Monitor within the bladder can be integrated by the implanted SNM device to control bladder function. Supporting the team locally is Dr. Kate Anderson of the Department of Urologic Sciences at UBC, who has just established British Columbia’s first SNM program.

The research findings not only hold the potential to pave the way for future clinical trials, but also offer hope for improving bladder control in SCI patients. Dr. Kwon and his team are gearing up to launch this transformative three-year study by the end of this year.

Dr. Brian Kwon

Dr. Brian Kwon, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Spinal Cord Injury and Dvorak Chair in Spine Trauma, is an internationally recognized, award-winning surgeon-scientist and Professor with the UBC Department of Orthopaedics as well as an attending spine surgeon with the Vancouver Spine Surgery Institute at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH). He is also the Director of International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), where the Kwon Lab for Spinal Cord Injury Research is located, and the Director at The International Spinal Cord Injury Biobank (ISCIB).