International Campaign for Cures of Spinal Cord Injury Paralysis (ICCP): another step forward for spinal cord injury research

Abstract

For over 20 years, charitable organizations have worked to promote research that will cure the paralysis associated with spinal cord injury (SCI). When they began this quest, the consequences of SCI were thought to be permanent; that once damaged, the spinal cord could not be repaired. Today, the same organizations are credited with funding research that has realized many significant advances, brought new optimism and changed the outlook of researchers, clinicians and injured individuals alike. Progress in understanding the basic biology of spinal cord repair means that it is now a case of how soon useful treatments will be available, rather than if there will ever be anything to offer. With this in mind, many of the organizations that promote spinal cord research have formed an alliance to determine the ways in which their collaboration can hasten progress. The mission and objectives of this alliance, termed the International Campaign for Cures of Spinal Cord Injury Paralysis (ICCP), are described here.

Neuroprotection, Plasticity Manipulation, and Regenerative Strategies to Improve Cardiovascular Function following Spinal Cord Injury

“…1 In recent decades, however, clinicians and scientists alike have begun to delve deeply into the mechanisms underlying neural regeneration and protection. 2 Advances in our scientific understanding of the neurobiology underlying SCI have given credence to the notion that one day we might develop therapies to cure this condition.…”

The Effects of Controlled Release of Neurotrophin-3 from PCLA Scaffolds on the Survival and Neuronal Differentiation of Transplanted Neural Stem Cells in a Rat Spinal Cord Injury Model

“…Trauma-induced spinal cord injuries (SCI) resulting in significant motor impairment or paralysis remain a critical public health concern with approximately 100,000 new cases each year [1]. SCI interrupts connections between the brain and the spinal cord, which transmit motor control and somatic sensory signals.…”

Adult Stem Cell Transplants for Spinal Cord Injury Repair: Current State in Preclinical Research

“…The etiology of traumatic SCIs includes mainly traffic accidents, and in a lower proportion sports injuries, industrial accidents and violent assaults. Because SCIs mainly affect young people and due to the lack of curative treatments, the functional impairments caused by severe SCI persist along the patient's life span, constituting a major cause of physical disability [1]. Acutely after injury, patients suffer from spinal shock, which abolishes spinal reflexes and blocks ascending and descending impulse conduction along the spinal cord, causing loss of sensation and movement and lack of visceral control below the segmental level of the lesion.…”

“…Worldwide, there are more than 130,000 new cases of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) per year with a prevalence of approximately 2.5 millions people affected [1,2]. The etiology of traumatic SCIs includes mainly traffic accidents, and in a lower proportion sports injuries, industrial accidents and violent assaults.…”