(PhysOrg.com) — A researcher at MIT’s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory has pinpointed stem cells within the spinal cord that, if persuaded to differentiate into more healing cells and fewer scarring cells following an injury, may lead to a new, non-surgical treatment for debilitating spinal-cord injuries.

The work, reported in the July issue of the journal PLoS (Public Library of Science) Biology, is by Konstantinos Meletis, a postdoctoral fellow at the Picower Institute, and colleagues at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. Their results could lead to drugs that might restore some degree of mobility to the 30,000 people worldwide afflicted each year with spinal-cord injuries. Continue Reading »

Tour stop focuses on spinal cord injury awareness and rehab

This week a message of hope rolled through the state.

The Rise Above Tour, a cross-country bicycle and handcycle ride devoted to bringing a message of hope and awareness about spinal cord injuries, completed another leg of their trek across the country with stops in Utah. The tour members hope to raise funds for spinal cord research and to educate people about the benefits of continued Rehabilitation and perseverance in the face of a spinal cord injury.

Tour member Briana on her handcycle at Liberty Park in Salt Lake on Thursday.

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Three years have passed since Tara Blackwell had her life altered in a split-second of tragedy.

She has clung to hope. She has been fueled by hope. Now, for the first time since her paralyzing injury, Blackwell is ready to turn hope into a dramatic progression.

Blackwell, 23, a Pine Forest High graduate and former standout softball player at Troy University, is preparing to travel to Germany on Aug. 9 for the first phase of a stem-cell procedure that could enable her to regain movement. Continue Reading »

Ricky James, 19 years old from Murrieta, Ca. has been selected to compete in a new exhibition sport “Adaptive Motox” at X Games 14 in Carson California on August 1, 2008.

James suffered a spinal cord injury in a motocross crash in 2005 leaving him a Paraplegic at the age of 16. Ricky did not let his injury stop him from doing what he loved most. Barely 6 months after his injury Ricky started designing adaptive components that would allow him to ride his dirt bike again. Along with fellow paraplegic Brad Meinzer from ParaPro’s Racing, the two developed a sophisticated system that would not only allow him to ride but also to race. Ricky competed in the 2007 SCORE Baja 500 along with 3 other able bodied members of his team and completed his grueling 120 mile leg of the race in just over 4 hours. Continue Reading »

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It was June 2005 and Chase Ford had just turned 2-years-old. Continue Reading »

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The Allen Institute for Brain Science today unveiled the groundbreaking Allen Spinal Cord Atlas, the world’s first genome-wide map of the mouse spinal cord. Continue Reading »