International Center for Spinal Cord Injury

It was spring of 2007, and the town of Hastings, Nebraska, was looking forward to summer. Memorial Day weekend had come and gone, and Kirk and Jami Ortegren had just watched their son Jack crawl for the first time.

(Baltimore, MD) - In a study published today in Science (e-publication ahead of print), a global research team reports that the cancer drug Taxol® (Paclitaxel) promotes the regeneration of injured nerve cells in the central nervous system (CNS) after spinal cord injury.

As a therapeutic tool, electrical stimulation is being used in innovative ways to promote recovery of function following nervous system injury or disease. It can restore control and offset atrophy to muscles after injury and has a variety of therapeutic applications in the clinical setting. New research now suggests that electrical stimulation may also enhance central nervous system (CNS) repair.

(Baltimore, MD) - Representatives from the Kennedy Krieger Institute will take part in the 2009 World Stem Cell Summit beginning September 21 in Baltimore, Md. Kennedy Krieger will join more than 1,200 of the world's most influential stem cell stakeholders, through participation in the following:

Concurrent Session

Society Track: Stem Cell Progress Report-Spinal Cord Injury and Multiple Sclerosis Tuesday, September 22, 4:40 p.m. - 6:10 p.m.

(Baltimore, MD) - The International Center for Spinal Cord Injury (ICSCI) at the Kennedy Krieger Institute recently received a $20,000 donation from the Iowa-based Spinal Cord Organization for Research and Enrichment (S.C.O.R.E.) to support the Center's promising and innovative research. ICSCI will use the funds to support stem cell and regeneration research, specifically applying the donation to primate studies currently underway in Columbia, South America.