Project Grant R01NS134713
- This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders (CFDA 93.853) program, provides $437,250 to the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) to conduct pooled in vivo screening of combination gene therapies for enhancing axonal regeneration after spinal cord injury (SCI). The key objectives are to 1) perform CRISPR screening to identify the most effective...
- Federal Grant Award Summary The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) awarded Shirley Ryan AbilityLab a $2.86 million Project Grant (CFDA 93.865 – Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research) effective September 1, 2025, through August 31, 2028, to conduct research on paired stimulation plasticity for motor recovery in cervical spinal cord injury (SCI). The research project investigates two innovative neural stimulation...
- Federal Project Grant Award Summary The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) awarded a $1,141,436 Project Grant to The Washington University (Office of Sponsored Research Services) effective September 1, 2025, through August 31, 2030, under the Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.865). This research initiative, titled "Spatiotemporal Control of Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation for Motor Function in SCI," will...
- This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders (CFDA 93.853) program, supports development of a novel screening technology to identify FDA-approved drugs that can promote functional recovery in spinal cord injury (SCI). The $411,136 award to the Texas A&M University System Health Science Center will fund a 3-step screening platform using adult cortical...
- This Project Grant award of $305,447, issued on September 2, 2024 by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (CFDA 93.865 - Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research), aims to identify predictive biomarkers for acute intermittent hypoxia-induced motor recovery in individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury. The research team from the University of Colorado will: 1) Validate the cellular mechanisms underlying hypoxia-induced plasticity in humans, using...
- This National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) Project Grant award of $274,976 to Ecate LLC aims to develop a novel intraspinal stimulator system to restore sensation and volitional motor control in spinal cord injury patients. The project will fabricate nanopatterned stimulating electrodes coupled with custom CMOS chips to deliver spatially selective electrical stimulation to the spinal cord. This closed-loop neural interface system is intended...
- This Project Grant award from the Department of the Army Medical Command provides $3,940,561 to fund the "Breathing Low Oxygen to Enhance Spinal Stimulation Training and Functional Recovery in Persons with Chronic Spinal Cord Injury: The BO2ST Trial" project under the Military Medical Research and Development program (CFDA 12.420). The award period is from September 30, 2022 through September 29, 2026. The project aims to investigate the extent to which daily acute intermittent hypoxia...
- This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders (CFDA 93.853) program, provides $151,559 to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) from August 3, 2024 to July 31, 2026. The project aims to develop innovative magnetically responsive drug delivery electrospun fibers to improve regeneration after spinal cord injury (SCI). Specifically, the research will focus...
- Federal Grant Award Summary The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) awarded $470,293 to The Research Foundation For The State University of New York (SUNY at Binghamton) under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders (CFDA 93.853) program, effective July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2027. This Project Grant funds research aimed at identifying and characterizing the electrophysiological features of spinal motor neurons during...
- Federal Grant Award Summary The University of Washington, Seattle, WA received a $427,625 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders (CFDA 93.853) program, effective May 21, 2025, with a completion date of April 30, 2027. The research project investigates whether electrical stimulation (ES) enhances the therapeutic capacity of neural stem cell (NSC) transplants...
STIMULATION-BASED STRATEGIES FOR FORMING NEW LESION-BRIDGING CIRCUITRY AND OPTIMIZING FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY AFTER SPINAL CORD INJURY - ABSTRACT SPINAL CORD INJURY (SCI) LEADS TO SENSORIMOTOR PARALYSIS FOR WHICH THERE IS CURRENTLY NO CURE. OUR PREVIOUS WORK DETERMINED THAT OPTOGENETIC SPINAL STIMULATION, A RELATIVELY NEW METHOD FOR STIMULATING THE SPINAL CORD, HAS ROBUST NEUROMODULATING EFFECTS THAT SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASES AXONAL GROWTH, NEURO-VASCULATURE AND IMPORTANTLY, FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY IN RATS WITH SUB-CHRONIC CERVICAL SPINAL INJURIES. HOWEVER, RECOVERY WAS LESS COMPLETE IN RATS WITH MORE SEVERE INJURIES. WITH THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF IDENTIFYING EFFECTIVE THERAPEUTICS FOR SPINAL INJURIES OF VARYING MAGNITUDES, THE PROPOSED STUDY WILL FURTHER DEVELOP AND OPTIMIZE OPTOGENETIC SPINAL STIMULATION FOR THE SEVERELY HEMI-CONTUSED SPINAL CORD. MORE SPECIFICALLY, IN AIM 1 WE WILL IDENTIFY IF INCREASING THE NUMBER OF WEEKLY STIMULATION PERIODS WILL PROMOTE SIGNIFICANT RECOVERY IN RATS WITH A SEVERE CERVICAL HEMICONTUSION. WE WILL INCREASE STIMULATION SESSIONS FROM 1X/WEEK TO 2,3 AND 4X/WEEK AND INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS ON FORELIMB FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY OF FOUR BEHAVIORAL TASKS. IN AIM 2, WE WILL INVESTIGATE THE COMBINATORIAL EFFECTS OF OPTOGENETIC SPINAL STIMULATION AND INTRACELLULAR SIGMA PEPTIDE (ISP) ON FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY IN RATS AFTER SEVERE CERVICAL HEMICONTUSION. ISP ALLEVIATES THE INHIBITORY EFFECTS OF CHONDROITIN SULFATE PROTEOGLYCANS ON AXONAL GROWTH AND NEW CIRCUITRY FORMATION AFTER SCI. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT COMBINING THIS PEPTIDE WITH OPTOGENETIC STIMULATION WILL INCREASE THE CRITICAL FORMATION OF NEW CIRCUITRY BRIDGING THE LESION SITE, HELPING TO RECONNECT UPSTREAM NEURONS WITH DOWNSTREAM TARGETS THAT WILL TRANSLATE INTO IMPROVED FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY. THIS WILL BE FURTHER EXPLORED IN AIM 3, WHERE WE WILL IDENTIFY THE CHANGES IN CIRCUITRY THAT OCCUR IN RESPONSE TO OPTOGENETIC SPINAL STIMULATION ALONE OR IN COMBINATION WITH ISP DELIVERY. THIS WILL BE ASSESSED BY LOOKING AT SPINALLY-EVOKED FORELIMB MUSCLE ACTIVITY IN COMBINATION WITH THE ACTIVITY-SENSITIVE VIRAL VECTOR CAMPARI2 TO IDENTIFY PARTICIPATING NEURONS, AS WELL AS ADDITIONAL TISSUE ANALYSIS USING IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY AND RNASCOPE. OVERALL, THE PROPOSED STUDY WILL FURTHER DEVELOP AND OPTIMIZE A NEW AND POWERFUL METHOD FOR THERAPEUTICALLY STIMULATING THE SPINAL CORD AND PROMOTING SIGNIFICANT FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY WITHIN THE SUB-CHRONIC, SEVERE SCI COMMUNITY. THE FINDINGS FROM CIRCUITRY ANALYSIS WILL ALSO PROVIDE IMPORTANT INSIGHTS INTO FUTURE STRATEGIES FOR FURTHER IMPROVING FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY AFTER SCI.
Mod # | Description | ReasonForModification | Federal Obligation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not listed | $327.8k | 7/24/25 | ||
| Not listed | $327.8k | 6/7/24 |