Advocates seek to end state diversion of millions originally earmarked for research

ALBANY — Millions of dollars in speeding-ticket fees meant for spinal cord research are instead being funneled into the state’s general fund.

A group of researchers, patients and advocates gathered at the state Capitol on Wednesday to highlight the budgetary diversion.

In 1998, under Gov. George Pataki, the state passed legislation which tacked a $5 surcharge to all moving violations to finance the Spinal Cord Injury Research Fund. This fee raises about $150 million annually, and up to $8.5 million of that was intended to assist researchers. Continue Reading »

StemCells, Inc. Announces First Patient Cohort Completes Spinal Cord Injury Trial – Gains in Sensory Function Persist 12 Months After Stem Cell Transplant

NEWARK, Calif., Feb. 12, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — StemCells, Inc. (Nasdaq:STEM) today announced that the twelve-month data from the first patient cohort in the Company’s Phase I/II clinical trial of its proprietary HuCNS-SC® product candidate (purified human neural stem cells) for chronic spinal cord injury continued to demonstrate a favorable safety profile, and showed that the considerable gains in sensory function observed in two of the three patients at the six-month assessment have persisted. Continue Reading »

If you come across a photo of David Hudgik, most likely he’s smiling. It reflects his optimism 16 months after being paralyzed in a trampoline accident at his home in Keene.

Life moves forward for the 17-year-old Keene High School senior and his family, even when they’re tempted to shake their fists at fate. But that won’t do. Boxes in their new house in Keene need to be unpacked. The interior of the new elevator needs staining. There’s a hockey puck to drop today.

The eight-point New Year’s resolution list Hudgik crafted with his father, Paul, is about moving forward, not looking back. No. 1 on the list: “GET ON SNOW ASAP.” Continue Reading »

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC describe in PLoS ONE how an electrode array sitting on top of the brain enabled a 30-year-old paralyzed man to control the movement of a character on a computer screen in three dimensions with just his thoughts. It also enabled him to move a robot arm to touch a friend’s hand for the first time in the seven years since he was injured in a motorcycle accident.

With brain-computer interface (BCI) technology, the thoughts of Tim Hemmes, who sustained a spinal cord injury that left him unable to move his body below the shoulders, were interpreted by computer algorithms and translated into intended movement of a computer cursor and, later, a robot arm, explained lead investigator Wei Wang, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Pitt School of Medicine. Continue Reading »

A training regimen to adjust the body’s motor reflexes may help improve mobility for some people with incomplete spinal cord injuries, according to a study supported by the National Institutes of Health.

During training, the participants were instructed to suppress a knee jerk-like reflex elicited by a small shock to the leg. Those who were able to calm hyperactive reflexes – a common effect of spinal cord injuries – saw improvements in their walking. Continue Reading »

Currently there is no effective treatment used in clinical practice for patients with an injured spinal cord. However, a group of orthopaedic scientists have recently discovered that the administration of microRNA-210 could be an effective treatment for an injured spinal cord by promoting regeneration following injury.

Previously, microRNA-210 has been studied as an effective treatment for cancer and other diseases. Scientists noted that there was an absence of this particular gene in cancerous tumors, but it was found in abundance in healthy tissue. By delivering what was missing directly to the diseased tumor, scientists were able to stop the progression of the disease. Continue Reading »

Acorda Therapeutics said today it won a $2.67 million contract from the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command (USAMRMC) to support development of AC105 as a treatment for acute spinal cord injury (SCI).

The contract will help fund a Phase II clinical trial designed primarily to assess the safety and tolerability of AC105 in patients with acute SCI. The company plans to open enrollment for this study in the first half of this year. Continue Reading »

January 23, 2013 – Doctors at The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, a Center of Excellence at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, performed the first-ever Food and Drug Administration approved Schwann cell transplantation in a patient with a new spinal cord injury. The procedure, performed at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center, is a Phase 1 clinical trial designed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of transplanting the patient’s own Schwann cells.

“This historic clinical trial represents a giant step forward in a field of medicine where each tangible step has tremendous value. This trial, and these first patients in this trial specifically, are extremely important to our mission of curing paralysis,” said neurosurgeon Barth Green, M.D., Co-Founder and Chairman of The Miami Project, and Professor and Chair of Neurological Surgery. Continue Reading »

AS THE 2013 school year fast approaches, an enthusiastic bunch of injury prevention volunteers are ready to inspire Bundaberg children to stay safe and injury free.

The Spinal Education Awareness Team (SEAT) program is ready for its 26th year of motivating school kids to consider their personal safety in order to avoid a permanent injury.

SEAT veteran presenter Wayne Leo said SEAT had 20 volunteer presenters throughout Queensland. Continue Reading »

NSI-566 to be tested in patients with chronic spinal cord injury

ROCKVILLE, Md., Jan. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ – Neuralstem, Inc. (NYSE MKT: CUR) announced that it received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to commence a Phase I safety trial of its lead cell therapy candidate, NSI-566, in chronic spinal cord injury patients. This open-label, multi-site study, will enroll up to eight patients with thoracic spinal cord injuries (T2-T12), who have an American Spinal Injury Association (AIS) A level of impairment,  between one and two years after injury. AIS A impairment refers to a patient with no motor or sensory function in the relevant segments at and below the injury, and is considered to be complete paralysis. Continue Reading »