How Dr Laura Salisbury left their lane.
Laura Salisbury combined fashion, materials science and neuroscience at the RCA – then turned the research into a neurotechnology company.
Laura Salisbury came to neurotechnology through fashion.
She studied Fashion Design and Marketing, followed by an MA in Pattern and Garment Technology, before beginning doctoral research at the Royal College of Art. But the question she chose to pursue took textiles somewhere very different: could something worn on the body help the brain recover movement after stroke?
Her research brought together technical textiles, materials science, neuroscience and inclusive design. Working closely with stroke survivors and clinicians, Salisbury developed smart textile structures designed to support the upper limb while influencing the neural pathways involved in movement and recovery.
That work became KnitRegen.
The company grew out of her RCA research and went on to secure backing from UKRI, Venrex and the Mayor of London’s Entrepreneur Programme. Salisbury was awarded a £1.2 million UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship to develop the technology further and establish a Wearable MedTech Lab at the RCA.
KnitRegen has since become June.
The technology has evolved too. June is now developing a neurorecovery system combining a wearable wrist device with precisely timed stimulation, designed to strengthen the neural pathways controlling hand movement after stroke. The company is working with clinicians and neuroscientists at UCL Queen Square as it moves the research towards wider clinical use.
Salisbury started by asking what textiles could do for the body.
That question eventually took her beyond clothing altogether – and into how the brain relearns movement.
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