The four Phase 2 winners in the NIH’s competition each will receive $1 million, technical assistance and other resources to accelerate the development for neuromodulation therapies — those aimed at stimulating the nervous system to improve function and treat a range of conditions. At UofL, researchers are using these therapies to help patients with paralysis restore functions they may otherwise never have again.

“This technology holds enormous potential for people living with paralysis resulting from spinal cord injury,” said Susan Harkema, a UofL professor, researcher and lead on the Neuromod Prize project. “Our research so far, and the progress we will make supported by this new funding, could dramatically improve all aspects of their daily lives, from movement to cardiovascular function.”

The project team includes UofL researchers Harkema and Charles Hubscher, working in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), Medtronic and long-time clinical translational research partner, the Kessler Foundation. Together, they will develop a novel communication and analysis system, called StimXS, that integrates sensor information to both stabilize blood pressure and improve respiratory and bladder function.

This builds on past work by UofL researchers, who have used neuromodulation to target and improve a range of health effects resulting from spinal cord injury, including cardiac, respiratory and bladder function and even — something previously thought to be impossible. To target these functions, the researchers use an implantable stimulation device that can send electrical signals to select areas of the spinal cord.

“With this new Phase 2 Neuromod funding, we can take a major step toward advancing this technology for broad use in patients,” said Hubscher, professor and co-director of the KSCIRC. “We’ve seen great results in the lab, but the true impact of this technology will be when it’s in a clinical setting and helping the people who need it most.”

This work has also been supported by several public and private sponsors, such as the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, the Helmsley Charitable Trust and . As part of the Neuromod Prize, Phase 2 winners will be exclusively invited to participate in Phase 3, which will have a total potential prize pool of $5 million. ��

“This is truly game-changing research with the power to improve lives,” said Jon Klein, UofL’s interim executive vice president for research and innovation. “I applaud the research team for their success in driving this important work forward and am excited to see them translate this for broad use in patients.”

The Neuromod Prize is part of the��, which is making critical progress to help accelerate the development of neuromodulation therapies, close fundamental knowledge gaps, and offer tools that enable open science and innovation through the .

Crawford was 22 years old and had just graduated from college when he suffered a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed. His family and friends organized fundraisers to help during his physical rehabilitation. Crawford went on to earn an MBA from UofL and is president of . In 2006, he established the Todd Crawford Foundation and began to raise funds to support spinal cord injury and paralysis research.

“We have a large group of wonderful people who come to our events and support our mission. For this, we are continually grateful,” Crawford said.

Racers may . Race-day registration begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 2 at Louisville Waterfront Park and the race starts at 10 a.m. Entry is $25 for adults and kids under 12 race free.

One of the chief beneficiaries of the foundation has been the . Directed by Andrea Behrman, PhD, PT, the center innovates treatments and provides therapy for children with spinal cord injuries using locomotor training, an activity-based rehabilitation approach that has led to progress in sitting, standing and stepping. The children are treated at Frazier Rehab Institute in Louisville, a part of KentuckyOne Health. ��

In addition to pediatric neurorecovery, the foundation also supports the work of individual researchers at the (KSCIRC) at UofL through the Crawford Scholars program. Scholarships for 2018 allowed researchers Darryn Atkinson, PhD, and Goutam Singh, PhD, to present research at national conferences, and funded advanced training in neuroimaging for doctoral candidate Luis Alvarado.

“The generous support of the Crawford Foundation allowed me to encounter this transformative experience at a crucial point of my training and has without a doubt helped shape the trajectory of my scientific career,” Alvarado said.

The is a national educational association created to advance research and serve as a national voice for postdoctoral scholars. Founded in 2003, the NPA serves more than 3,400 individual members and 200 institutional members of the postdoctoral community. A “postdoc” is an individual who has received a doctoral (PhD) degree and is employed in a temporary research position for the purpose of gaining additional experience that will lead to an independent academic research or faculty position.

Bankston is a postdoctoral research fellow in the lab of Scott Whittemore, PhD, scientific director of the Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center at UofL. Bankston’s research at UofL focuses on the role of autophagy, or selective degradation of cell components, in developmental myelination and myelin repair after injury. Myelin is the insulating material surrounding nerve fibers. Bankston earned his doctorate in biochemistry, cell and developmental biology from Emory University in 2013.

Bankston, one of four newly elected board members for NPA, served as chair of the NPA Outreach Committee beginning in February 2015. At UofL, he is a member of the postdoctoral advisory board and a member of the planning committee for the Career Research Advancement Focused Training (CRAFT) seminar series, which hosts speakers to provide information on potential career options for postdoctoral fellows and graduate students. In addition, Bankston is a volunteer leader and member of event planning committees within the local chapter of the .

UofL announced that Kosair Charities is providing $7.3 million in support of the work of Andrea Behrman, PhD, PT, in exploring how to help children regain the use of limbs paralyzed as the result of spinal cord injuries and other causes.

The university also announced it is providing $2.7 million from proceeds of a previous gift from the late Owsley Frazier, former UofL board chair, bringing the total to $10 million in support of this burgeoning area of research and care.

“Today is a good day for children in Kentucky and beyond,” said UofL President James Ramsey. “A little more than a year ago, Dr. Behrman and two of her colleagues moved from Florida to join our prominent program researching how to overcome paralysis associated with spinal cord injury. Andrea brought with her a focus on children, enabling our efforts to explore how to treat people of all ages. Today’s gift will help Andrea, her team and UofL move the research forward more quickly.”

Behrman, a professor of neurological surgery, is a pioneer in the use of locomotor training in children. She and UofL faculty member Susan J. Harkema, PhD, professor of neurological surgery and the Owsley B. Frazier Chair in Neurological Rehabilitation and director of rehabilitation research at the UofL Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, developed the intense physical therapy regime.

Locomotor training allows individuals with certain kinds of spinal cord injuries to repetitively practice standing and stepping using body weight support and a treadmill with manual facilitation from therapists and technicians. The ultimate goal is to re-train patients with spinal cord injuries to stand and walk again.

Behrman’s goal is to help children who not only have spinal cord injuries, but also conditions such as head trauma and tumors.

“Our mission at Kosair Charities is to protect the health and well-being of children in Kentucky and Southern Indiana by providing financial support for clinical services, research, pediatric health care education and child advocacy,” said Jerry Ward, chair of the Kosair board. “It is our honor and privilege to team with UofL, Dr. Behrman and all of her colleagues as she searches for ways to help children gain or regain the ability to walk.”

“One of the primary purposes for moving to Louisville is to lead and develop a unique and progressive, pediatric rehabilitation and research program aimed at maximizing recovery after neurologic injury using activity-based interventions,” Behrman said. “It has been a privilege to join the exceptional team that has been built at UofL.

“And the community support to help us accomplish our goals is outstanding. Our partnership with Kosair Charities is unmatched in terms of alignment of what we are trying to achieve and the people we are trying to help. The support Kosair Charities provides is critical to our advancing the science of rehabilitation in children.”

The funds from the gifts will help to create endowed chairs, one for Behrman and one to help recruit another leading scientist/clinician in the field. These resources also will help support the recruitment of pediatric rehabilitation personnel, purchase specialized pediatric rehabilitation equipment and help establish a truly cutting-edge research program in the field.