SVM garners Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation grant

Two researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Veterinary Medicine have picked up nearly one-half million dollars in research funding from the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation (CRPF).

David D. Fuller and Francis John Golder are two of only 15 neuroscientists nationally to receive funding from the CRPF for the 2003 grant cycle. They are studying spinal cord injury in the laboratory of Gordon S. Mitchell, professor and chair in the Department of Comparative Biosciences.

“The research funded by this award will lead to a better understanding of how rehabilitative training can improve breathing following spinal-cord injury,” Fuller says. His research is focused on how spinal-cord function is improved by physical exercise, enhancing the ability to breathe after a spinal-cord injury high in the neck.

Two years ago, Reeve visited the University of Florida laboratory where Golder earned his PhD. “Observing Mr. Reeve’s ventilator dependence highlighted the importance of my research,” Golder says. “The CRPF grant will enable me to focus on improving respiratory function after spinal injury.”

His research concerns the novel idea that spinal pathways can be strengthened by non-traditional therapies such as intermittent periods of low oxygen. By strengthening these pathways, it is hoped that the ability to breathe without a ventilator can be restored.

CRPF funding is committed to funding research that develops treatments and cures for paralysis caused by spinal-cord injury and other central nervous system disorders.