Medical College of Wisconsin
Medical College of Wisconsin Medical College of Wisconsin
Lightsheet microscopy image of a whole, optically cleared spinal cord
NEMo Lab

About the NEMo  Lab

The Neural Engineering & Modulation Laboratory employs a combination of neurophysiology, optogenetics, viral gene therapy, and optical imaging techniques to develop novel neuro-prosthetic and gene-therapy approaches to alleviate motor deficits caused by conditions such as spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. 

Dr. Jordan Williams working with student in Marquette-MCW NEMo Lab
Histological image of cross-section of nerve expressing channel-rhodopsin using optogenetics.

NEMo Lab Research

The NEMo Lab is interested in advancing neuroprosthetic and viral gene therapy techniques in the peripheral nervous system that allow optical stimulation and restoration of paralyzed muscle activity, as well as using multi-modal brain recording and stimulation technologies to both advance neuroprosthetic system capabilities and build a better understanding of the underlying relationships between different scales of recorded neural signals. 

Learn more about Our Research

Investigators

Principal Investigator

Dr. Jordan Williams

Jordan J. Williams, MD, PhD

The NEMo Lab is directed by Dr. Jordan Williams, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Marquette University and the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr. Williams received both of his terminal degrees from Washington University—St. Louis in 2013 and completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh's Systems Neuroscience Institute in 2019. He joined the Marquette-MCW Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering in August of 2019, founding the NEMo Lab shortly thereafter.

Learn more about Dr. Williams

Investigative Collaborators

Dr. Jordan Williams and investigators at the NEMo Lab work closely with collaborative investigators from the University of Wisconsin—Madison, the University of Pittsburgh, and the Medical College of Wisconsin specializing in Biomedical Engineering, Neurosurgery, Neurobiology, and Ophthalmology.

Learn more about NEIMO Lab People

Optogenetics Equipment

NEMo Lab Facilities

Housed on the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center Campus, the NEMo Lab has access to a wealth of technical and clinical resources designed to support basic science and translational investigations into electrophysiological and optogenetic applications to spinal cord injury and disease. 

Learn more about Facilities at ZVAMC Labs

NEMo Lab Funding

Research at the Neural Engineering & Modulation Laboratory is supported on an ongoing basis by Marquette University and the Medical College of Wisconsin and receives additional support on an ad hoc basis from such institutions as the National Institutes of Health. 

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Active Grants
  • Williams, Jordan (Principal Investigator); Multiplexing optogenetic stimulation and inhibition in peripheral motor nerves toward improved spinal cord injury rehabilitation." Sponsored by MCW Research Affairs Committee (July 1, 2023–June 30, 2024).
  • Williams, Jordan (Principal Investigator); "Peripheral Optogenetic Restoration of Motor Function Following Spinal Cord Injury." Sponsored by the Morton Cure Paralysis Fund (July 1, 2023–June 30, 2024). 
  • Williams, Jordan (Co-investigator); Rey, Hernan (Principal Investigator); "Recording neural activity 24/7 at different scales in the human brain: a unique opportunity to improve epilepsy diagnosis and treatment." Sponsored by CTSI of SE Wisconsin (April 1, 2023–March 31, 2024).
  • Williams, Jordan (Principal Investigator); "Development of a near-infrared in vivo imaging pipeline to track virus distribution for motor gene therapy." Sponsored by Marquette University (February 2023–December 2023).  Learn more about the NIR In Vivo Imaging Pipeline

Past Grants
  • Williams, Jordan (Co-Investigator); Budde, Matthew (Principal Investigator); "Spreading Depolarizations and Perfusion in Non-traumatic Spinal Cord Injury." Sponsored by the Veterans Administration (October 2021–September 2023). 
  •  Williams, Jordan (Principal Investigator); “Addressing the clinical feasibility of peripheral optogenetic strategies for spinal cord injury rehabilitation,” an NIH K12 grant sponsored by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health, award number K12HD073945 (January 1, 2022–December 31, 2022).
  • Williams, Jordan (Principal Investigator); "Peripheral Optogenetic Restoration of Motor Function Following Spinal Cord Injury." Sponsored by the Morton Cure Paralysis Fund (October 2021–September 2022). 

Get Involved with the NEMo Lab

The NEMo Lab is dedicated to creating opportunities for the next generation of neuroscientists and biomedical engineers. Students, researchers and postdocs interested in the field of optogenetics and neural engineering are encouraged to enjoy research, employment and educational opportunities supported by Marquette University, the Medical College of Wisconsin, and the Zablocki VA Medical Center Laboratories. 

Advanced Degrees

Students interested in pursuing advanced degrees in neural engineering, optogenetics, viral gene therapy, and brain-computer interfaces are invited to explore educational opportunities provided by the Marquette University and Medical College of Wisconsin Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, as well as the Neuroscience Doctoral Program at the Medical College of Wisconsin. 

Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program

Neuroscience Doctoral Program (NDP)

Research Opportunities

The NEMo Lab is proud to sponsor graduate, undergraduate, and high-school students in research programs designed to expose the next generation of physicians, scientists and engineers to the world-class research practices employed by Marquette and the Medical College of Wisconsin.   

Medical School Summer Research Program

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)

SUPREMES Program

Open Positions

The team at the Neural Engineering & Modulation Laboratory is always looking for individuals with an interest in working to develop science and technologies that advance our understanding and treatment of spinal cord injury and disease. For more information on joining the NEMo Lab, contact Dr. Jordan Williams.

Contact Dr. Jordan Williams