Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation Awards $1.8M in Research Awards; 16 Investigators Approved for Funding to Further Work 11/10/2003
From: Julie Kwon of the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, 973-379-2690, jkwon@crpf.org SPRINGFIELD, N.J., Nov. 10 -- The Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation (CRPF) announced today that 16 neuroscientists were awarded grants in the second research funding cycle of 2003 for a total of $1,811,134.00. Since 1982, CRPF has invested more than $43 million in research grants to almost 500 researchers worldwide. "There were several notable aspects of this current funding cycle," said Susan P. Howley, director of research and executive vice president of CRPF. "CRPF received the largest number of applications ever, which is a testament to the rapid and exciting growth in the spinal cord research field. CRPF's individual grants are catalytic -- they get a project or a new investigator started, and almost without exception lead to additional, more long-term support. This is especially crucial to the ten of our sixteen grantees who are either postdoctoral fellows or young investigators. It is also a classic example of how CRPF so effectively leverages its funding." All grant proposals are selected through a rigorous process of peer review by CRPF's Science Advisory Council (SAC), a group of expert neuroscientists who volunteer their time and knowledge to carefully evaluate proposals based on the science, relevance to the Foundation's research priorities and promise for clinical application. SAC maintains CRPF's scientific integrity by recommending funding only to those projects that demonstrate the highest merit and potential for developing effective therapies for the paralysis and other dysfunctions caused by spinal cord injury and other central nervous system disorders. Of the $1.8 million awarded, $715,537 was earmarked towards rehabilitation studies. There is growing evidence that specific kinds of rehabilitation, like weight bearing and treadmill stepping, do more than just protect muscles and bones. Training may actually improve function by promoting axon regeneration and by "teaching" the spinal cord below the injury how to activate the muscles needed for walking. $330,000 will support studies that promote axon guidance, synapse formation, and neurotransmission. Investigators focused on axon growth and remyelination will receive $172,738 while $150,000 will go to each of these three categories: Growth Inhibition, Stem Cells, and Neuroprotection. $75,000 will underwrite projects for cellular replacement and artificial substrates while $67,859 will be directed at concomitant function (for example, pain and spasticity). For more details on these categories of research, visit http://www.christopherreeve.org/research/researchmain.cfm The Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation (CRPF) is committed to funding research that develops treatments and cures for paralysis caused by spinal cord injury and other central nervous system disorders. The Foundation also vigorously works to improve the quality of life for people living with disabilities through its grants program, paralysis resource center, and advocacy efforts. For more information, please call (800) 225-0292 or visit http://www.ChristopherReeve.org. CHRISTOPHER REEVE PARALYSIS FOUNDATION 2nd Cycle 2003 Individual Grant Award Recipients $1,811,134.00 Approved for Funding -- Appel, Bruce, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States, $75,000.00, 1-year Grant, Analysis of Oliogodendrocyte precursor migration in zebrafish -- Carmena, Jose M., Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States, $120,000.00, 2-year Grant, Closed-loop brain-controlled prosthesis for recovery of upper-limb functionality in subjects with spinal cord injuries. -- Clemens, Stefan, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States $67,859.00, 1-year Grant, Dopaminergic control of spinal cord function -- Cosman, Felicia, Helen Hayes Hospital, West Haverstraw, NY, United States, $149,616.00, 2-year Grant, Acute spinal cord injury: a randomized controlled trial to prevent bone loss. -- Darian-Smith, Corinna, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States, $74,756.00, 1-year Grant, Cervical dorsal root lesions in monkey: impairment of dexterity and plasticity of primary sensory neurons -- Ehlers, Michael D., Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States, $150,000.00, 2-year Grant, Spatial regulation of endocytosis during growth cone migration and collapse -- El Manira, Abdeljabbar, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, $150,000.00, 2-year Grant, Awaking locomotor networks by activation of endogenous modulatory receptors -- Garcia, K. Christopher, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States, $150,000.00, 2-year Grant, Structural biology of Nogo receptor-ligand interactions -- Grillner, Sten Erik, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, $150,000.00, 2-year Grant, Mechanisms of modulation of the locomotor CPG - a synaptic, cellular and molecular analysis -- Gu, Chenghua, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States, $120,000.00, 1-year Grant, Semaphorin/neuropilin signaling during development and adult CNS regeneration -- Martin-Villalba, Ana, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg, Germany, $150,000.00, 2-year Grant, Blocking of CD95-Ligand-Induced cell death to treat spinal cord injured patients -- Sadowsky, Cristina Lavinia, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States, $71,165.00, 1-year Grant, Effects of an Activity-Based Therapeutic Program on Physical Health and Quality of Life in Persons with Spinal Cord Injuries -- Tuszynski, Mark H., University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States, $75,000.00, 1-year Grant, Nerve guidance channels for spinal cord injury -- Whittemore, Scott, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States, $150,000.00, 2-year Grant, Stem cell repair of spinal cord injury -- Wilson, Sara Ivy, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States, $120,000.00, 2-year Grant, Spinal Commissural Neurons: Functional Development and Circuitry -- Xu, Xiaorong, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States, $97,738.00, 2-year Grant, Assuring conduction in spinal motor neurons | |