NEWS
July 26, 2010
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT
20 Year Anniversary Salute
It’s been 20 years since the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) became the law of our land.
July 23, 2010
FOLLOW UP ON 2nd ANNUAL RUN WALK 'N WHEELATHON TORONTO
Hundreds of Participants Flood the Track!
On Thursday, July 15th, 2010, hundreds of participants raced to find a cure for paralysis at the 2nd Annual Honda Indy Toronto Run Walk N Wheelathon.
July 19, 2010
FOLLOW UP TO SSPF'S DAY AT THE RACES EVENT, IOWA SPEEDWAY
Includes a Reprint of a Press Release from the Christian Opportunity Center
We were pleased to welcome several people from the the Christian Opportunity Center in Pella Iowa
RESEARCH
Although spinal cord injury causes complex damage, a surprising amount of the basic circuitry to control movement and process information can remain intact. This is because the spinal cord is arranged in layers of circuitry. Many of the connections and neuronal cell bodies forming this circuitry above and below the site of injury survive the trauma. An important question to research scientists is how much do these surviving neurons "know"? Can they regenerate and make new, correct connections?
Research points to a multiplicity of possible interventions to promote recovery from a spinal injury. Some would be delivered immediately following the injury; others are less time-specific and involve rebuilding and reconnecting the injured cord. Clearly, both approaches are important: Limiting degeneration will enhance the probability of greater recovery, while stimulating regeneration will build upon the remaining system to restore lost connectivity, and perhaps to prevent further degeneration.
To cure the paralysis and loss of function that spinal cord injuries cause, doctors will need a carefully orchestrated series of interventions. Treatments will begin in the emergency room and continue for months. Even new forms of rehabilitation will be part of the therapeutic package. To speed the day when this regimen is available, the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation supports research on a variety of fronts. Individual grants encourage a multi-disciplinary approach to solving the complex medical problems that result from spinal cord injuries, in both the acute and chronic stage.
RESEARCH FUNDING 2008
Supinder Bedi, PhD, University of Texas Houston – HSC
Effects of Spinal Cord Injury on the Excitability and Growth State of Dorsal Root Ganglion Neurons. (Concomitant function/pain)
Victoria Elizabeth Claydon, PhD, Simon Fraser University
Cardiovascular consequences of autonomic dysfunction after spinal cord injury. (Secondary complications)
Martyn D. Goulding, PhD, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Modulation and activation of excitatory spinal interneurons that are necessary for walking movements. (Axon Guidance, Synapse Formation and Neurotransmission)
Soheila Karimi, PhD, The Toronto Western Hospital Research Institute
A combinatorial strategy to optimize neural repair and plasticity after chronic spinal cord injury. (Stem CellsNeural)
Asaf Keller, PhD, University of Maryland, Baltimore
Thalamic mechanisms of central pain, (Concomitant function/pain)
Andrew Charles Laing, PhD, Simon Fraser University
Biomechanics of spinal cord injuries: the influence of advanced age on injury mechanisms and spinal cord tissue damage.
Hyosang Lee, PhD, California Institute of Technology
The physiological roles of two novel neuronal pathways in acute and persistent pain. (Concomitant function/pain)
Edgar Walters, PhD, University of Texas-Houston HSC
Hyperexcitability of Sensory Neurons Produced by Spinal Cord Injury. (Concomitant FunctionPain)
Zhi Wang, PhD, Tufts University
Repair of Dorsal Root Injuries in the Mammalian Spinal Cord. (Axon guidance, synapse formation and neurotransmission)
American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA), Mousumi Ghosh, PhD
Addressing the technical limitations of studying axonal regeneration in a “clinically-relevant” contusive spinal cord injury model through ex vivo 3D ultramicroscopy.
James A. Lenker, PhD, OTR/L, University of Buffalo, State University of New York
Stephen Sprigle, PT, PhD, Georgia Institue of Technology
The Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation feels strongly that people who are confined to a wheelchair deserve to have their chair cushion fit properly … it is their lifeline to a healthy life. SSPF agreed to fund a collaborative project between James A. Lenker, PhD, OTR/L of the University of Buffalo, State University of New York and Stephen Sprigle, PT, PhD at Georgia Institute of Technology that addresses the complexity of services provided by suppliers of wheelchair and seating equipment. The goal of the research is to demonstrate the necessity of properly fitted seat cushions in wheelchairs. The ultimate goal of the research is to simplify the funding process for consumers.
RESEARCH FUNDING 2007
Baas, Peter W., Ph.D., Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Microtubule-based method for enhancing axonal regeneration after injury. Promotion of Axon Growth and Remyelination
Barnabé-Heider, Fanie, Ph.D., Karolinska Institutet
Manipulation of endogenous fate-mapped stem cells in the injured spinal cord. Stem Cells
Carmena, Jose M., Ph.D, University of California, Berkeley
Delivery of proprioceptive feedback from a brain-controlled prosthesis through cortical microstimulation
Rehabilitation
Fetz, Eberhard Erich, Ph.D., University of Washington
Cortical Control of Intraspinal Stimulation. Rehabilitation
Jan, Yih-Kuen, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, Pitttsburgh, Pennsylvania
Effectiveness of local cooling on enhancing tissue tolerance to loading pressure. Concomitant Function
Scarisbrick, Isobel A., Ph.D., Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
Mechanism of Kallikrein Mediated Neuron Injury in Human Spinal Cord Trauma. Neuroprotection
Simard, J. Marc, M.D., Ph.D., University of Maryland, Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland
Non-hormonal gender differences in SCI and sulfonylurea therapy. Neuroprotection
Steward, Oswald, Ph.D., University of California, Irvine California
Targeting phosphodiesterase isoforms to promote axon regeneration. Promotion of Axon Growth and Remyelination
Tai, Changfeng, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Restore continence and micturition after SCI by perigenital electrical stimulation. Concomitant Function
RESEARCH FUNDING 2006
Katerina Akassoglou, PhD, University of California, San Diego, CA.
Fibrin depletion as a therapeutic strategy to enhance regeneration in the injured spinal cord.
Jaimie Borisoff, PhD, Neil Squire Brain Interface Laboratory, University of British Columbia, Canada.
Sensory substitution for the functional recovery of sexual sensations after SCI.
Jonah Chan , PhD, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA.
Identification of the axonal signals that control oligodendrocyte myelination.
Jon Kaas, PhD, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN.
Recoveries of forelimb use and somatosensory cortex activation in monkeys with and without treatments to promote axon growth after section of forelimb afferents in the spinal cord.
Richard Bernard Stein, PhD, University of Alberta, Canada.
Feedback control of walking after spinal cord injury.
Jeffery Lewis Twiss, MD, PhD, Alfred I DuPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE.
RNA transport in regenerating axons.
Wee V. Yong, V., PhD, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Enhancing neuroprotection and regeneration in spinal cord injury by the combination of minocycline and glatiramer acetate.
The Mardian Family Fund to Cure Paralysis of the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation.
John McDonald, PhD, MD; Dr. Monica Perez. International Center for Spinal Cord Injury, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD.
Inter-CPG communication; harnessing the inherent potential of CPGs for recovery.
Sharon Matheny, PhD, University of Texas, Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, TX.
Molecular mediators of EphA4-induced axon inhibition in the CNS.
Dr. Wise Young, PhD, MD, W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, The Spinal Cord Injury Project, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ.
Dedicated to multidisciplinary collaborative research and to accelerating the transition of scientific discoveries into effective human therapies.