Wearable Robot Improves Knee Function in Children With Spinal Muscular Atrophy

A wearable robot weighing just under one kilogram improved knee function in children living with spinal muscular atrophy, according to research published in Nature today. The device provides resistance training tailored to the individual for children who are unable to walk because of the condition.

Compared with initial assessments, after using the robot for six weeks, six children aged 6 to 10 years could stand from a lower sitting angle, had 20 percent bigger quadriceps, and could generate more than twice as much force when bending their knees.

Gains extended beyond the laboratory according to the participants' parents. At home, when their children are trying to roll out of bed or adjust their bodies in certain ways, parents notice that it has become a lot easier because of the training regimen.

The portable nature of the device makes it ideal for home settings. It remains uncertain whether the robot is uniquely advantageous or if other forms of high-intensity exercise can also help.

Spinal muscular atrophy is an inherited disease caused by mutations in the SMN1 gene, affecting roughly one in every 10,000 births. Without functional SMN1, spinal motor neurons die, and the strength and mass of the muscles that they innervate deteriorates.

Over the past decade, genetic therapies have revolutionized the care of people with SMA. These medicines halt or greatly slow neuronal loss but cannot rebuild muscles that have already wasted.