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The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) recently honored Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s Sensorimotor Neuroplasticity (SYNAPSE) Lab at its Dinner of Champions Chicago event.
The SYNAPSE Lab, led by principal investigator at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab Milap Sandhu, PT, PhD was honored for its contributions to research into targeted interventions for people living with multiple sclerosis (MS).
MS is a progressive, immune‑mediated disease of the central nervous system that disrupts communication between the brain, spinal cord and body. Symptoms vary widely, but often include weakness, walking impairment, sensory changes and cognitive issues.
While accepting the award from the NMSS, Dr. Sandhu emphasized the contributions of the SYNAPSE Lab team: Alexander Barry, MS, research laboratory manager; Weena Dee, DPT, research physical therapist; Hamid Hassanlouei, PhD, postdoctoral fellow; Rachel Kalvakota, OTD, occupational therapist; Kailynn Mannella, PhD, postdoctoral fellow; Aravind Nehrujee, PhD, postdoctoral fellow; and Leah O’Shea, MS, biomedical engineer.
“In the past decade, new disease-modifying therapies have changed the trajectory of MS,” said Dr. Sandhu. “These potent drugs slow progression and help people live much longer with fewer relapses — yet we still lack effective treatments for established lesions and many live with persistent disability.”
This situation, he continued, has exposed the limitations of current rehabilitation research as it pertains to MS — and opportunities to use new technologies to improve patient outcomes.
“The SYNAPSE Lab focuses on individualized, neuroplasticity‑based rehabilitation,” he said. “One such method is targeted sensory and motor cues to drive adaptive changes in the central nervous system, translating physiological gains into measurable functional improvement.”