uOttawa professor awarded grant for research on restoring movement after spinal cord injury

The US$1.4 million grant will fund a comprehensive five-year research venture focused on novel therapeutic strategies to rehabilitate motor functions in individuals suffering from spinal cord injuries.

The study will look at the debilitating condition known as degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM), which significantly impairs movement. The investigators will focus on a population of spinal neurons that have been researched for over a decade to determine their potential in treating loss of movement associated with DCM.

The project is led by Kajana Satkunendrarajah, associate professor of neurosurgery and physiology, at the Medical College of Wisconsin, with the help of Tuan Bui, associate professor at the Department of Biology of the University of Ottawa. It will use cutting-edge genetic tools and viral gene therapy approaches developed by Alex Laliberte, a uOttawa postdoctoral fellow.
 

“Degenerative cervical myelopathy is a severely under-studied condition affecting a significant portion of the population, particularly individuals over 64,” says Bui. “This research aims to shed light on the factors influencing treatment outcomes and individual responses to therapy, ultimately targeting specific spinal neurons associated with hand function.”

Regarding the grant impact, Bui says, “This funding represents a significant investment in our efforts to identify novel therapeutic targets for degenerative cervical myelopathy, a prevalent yet poorly understood neurological disorder.”

The grant is a monumental step towards progress in treating spinal cord injuries and offers hope for improved quality of life for those affected by DCM. It will not only support groundbreaking research but also fund postdoctoral fellows, graduate students and undergraduate researchers involved in the project, fostering growth and innovation within the academic community.