Dr. Ivar Mendez leads the way to treatments for neurological injury and disease
Unlike most cells in the body, neurons in the brain and spinal cord don’t repair themselves once injured by trauma or disease. Neurological diseases and spinal cord injuries are thus considered ‘incurable.’ World-renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Ivar Mendez is determined to change that.
Dr. Mendez has already made substantial progress, pioneering cell restoration techniques for brain repair in patients with Parkinson’s disease. As head of the Division of Neurosurgery at Dalhousie Medical School and chair of the Brain Repair Centre, Dr. Mendez is leading one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive efforts to repair and even reverse the symptoms of such devastating diseases as Parkinson’s and Huntington’s – as well as the effects of brain and spinal cord injuries.
The seamless flow from bench to bedside has been a crucial theme throughout Dr. Mendez’s career. “This is the backbone of the Brain Repair Centre,” he says. “We constantly seek solutions to our patients’ problems, then apply and refine those solutions.”
Dr. Mendez and colleagues at Harvard Medical School are looking for ways to optimize survival and function of stem cell transplants. “We’re focusing on custom-made transplants, designed with the right blend of neurons and supporting cells to effect a specific repair in the brain,” he says.
As comfortable with computer circuitry as he is with neural networks, Dr. Mendez is also a world pioneer in the use of robotics in telemedicine. He performed the first robotic telementoring surgery in the world, and has since been working with a remote presence robot, affectionately named ‘I See You,’ which allows him to talk to patients and colleagues anywhere in the world via a sophisticated video system. Dr. Mendez is also a pioneer in using deep-brain stimulation to control movement disorders, including Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, cerebral palsy and dystonia.
“We are doing unique, innovative research unlike anything else in the world,” Dr. Mendez says. “With the aging of the population, the need for brain repair solutions is growing… yet we can’t put neurosurgeon’s everywhere. We are developing the technology today to meet the challenges of the future.”