Shepherd Center and Hocoma to Host North American Neurorehabilitation Symposium

Experts from the field of neurological rehabilitation will come together at the North American Neurorehabilitation Symposium (NANRS) 2010 at Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Ga., August 27 to 28, 2010. More than 20 international speakers and 170 participants will discuss new technologies, the application of virtual environments and research in spinal cord injury, stroke, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy and other neurological pathologies. Also, for the first time in the U.S., the robotic gait device Lokomat®Nanos will be presented. The symposium is organized by Shepherd Center and the Swiss medical technology pioneer Hocoma.

“We are pleased that we were able to bring together so many well-known experts in the fields of motor control, neuro-engineering and neurorehabilitation”, says conference co-organizer Keith Tansey, M.D., Ph.D., director of Spinal Cord Injury Research at Shepherd Center.

In addition, Hocoma’s LokomatNanos will be unveiled for the first time in the U.S. Hocoma's Lokomat system is the world's first driven gait orthosis that automates locomotion therapy on a treadmill and improves the efficiency of treadmill training. The Lokomat assists walking movements of gait-impaired patients and is used to improve mobility in individuals following stroke, spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis as well as neurological diseases and injuries. With this new Lokomat generation, a broad group of rehabilitation centers can benefit from robotic gait training.

About Hocoma AG (www.hocoma.com)

Hocoma was set up in 2000, as a spin-off from the Paraplegic Center at a Swiss University Hospital. The company has grown at an average rate of 30% each year since it was first set up, and currently employs more than 110 people at its headquarters near Zurich, Switzerland and at its subsidiaries in the US and Singapore. Hocoma develops and produces therapy solutions for neurological patients with movement disorders caused by stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis or other neurological diseases and injuries as well as small children with cerebral palsy. The product range features devices for intensive locomotion therapy (Lokomat®, Andago®), functional therapy of the upper extremities (Armeo®) as well as early rehabilitation and patient mobilization (Erigo®). Hocoma’s products are applied successfully in clinics and research institutes worldwide. This medical technology company has received many awards for start-up companies, and was honored with the “Red Herring 100 Global Award” in January 2010, as one of the hundred most innovative companies world-wide.

NANRS 2010 will bring together scientists from highly-recognized institutions worldwide and clinical users of innovative therapeutic methods and technologies. Participants will have the opportunity to compare notes on successful developments with 23 international speakers, including renowned researchers from the U.S., Mexico, Switzerland and Canada. The event is intended to offer clinicians and scientists a valuable platform to discuss trends, share expertise, exchange ideas and gain knowledge of new technologies and therapy concepts for their daily practice.