Neilsen Foundation - Spinal Cord Injury Research

Grants will be awarded to novel approaches to improving function and developing curative therapies after SCI. This research is designed to improve understanding and advance the treatment of acute and chronic SCI and includes mechanistic, preclinical, translational, and/or clinical studies. This portfolio emphasizes SCI (vs. diseases or disorders that secondarily affect the spinal cord) and is intended to fill gaps in the field and develop new strategies further to restore function resulting from SCI.

Grants will support research projects that include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

• Mechanistic Research: Including the development of novel strategies aimed at neuroprotection and/or elucidation of the pathological mechanisms that occur after SCI; pathophysiology of the injured spinal cord; promotion of neuronal survival, axonal regeneration, synaptogenesis, myelination, and functional connectivity after SCI; transplantation strategies for SCI recovery; pharmacological therapies to improve function after SCI; bioengineering solutions to improve function in persons with SCI; and chronic SCI treatment and issues related to aging with SCI.
• Preclinical, Translational Research: Research that will enable future clinical trials, such as the effects of SCI and novel interventions on sensory and motor function; use of preclinical models of SCI to develop interventions to alleviate complications of SCI including, bowel, bladder, sexual, and other autonomic dysfunctions, respiratory dysfunction, neuropathic pain, pressure sores, osteoporosis, and the effects of aging with SCI; and trial-enabling studies, (e.g., to confirm the mechanism of action for novel therapeutics, dosing, toxicity, etc.).
• Clinical Research: Including studies to establish the natural history and progression of functional outcomes over time after SCI; efforts to develop and validate outcome measures needed to facilitate definitive clinical trials in SCI populations; and testing of innovative rehabilitation strategies and devices in persons with SCI.

Eligible applicants must have a doctoral or equivalent terminal degree such as an MD, DVM, or PhD and conduct research at a nonprofit academic and/or research institution or rehabilitation facility in the United States or Canada.

Letters of Intent are due by June 10, 2022. Selected applicants will be invited to submit a full application by November 11, 2022.