Spinal Cord Injury and Paralysis

For someone who has been paralyzed from the neck down, the idea of ever walking again, driving a car or even doing something as simple as giving a friend a hug probably seems like a distant dream.

For years, people who suffered spinal cord injuries were told that the first six months of their recovery would paint an accurate picture of how they would live the rest of their lives. If a patient recovered any movement, it would probably be in those first few months and, nearly all experts believed, improvement after two years was impossible.

(Baltimore, MD) - The 3rd Annual Stompin' for the Cord event will feature wine tasting, guided vineyard tours, silent and live auctions, a money wheel, and a 50/50 drawing, and will take place at Boordy Vineyards in Hydes, Maryland, on Saturday, September 25. Guests will once again enjoy an evening of country style BBQ, wine, and bluegrass music.

(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.

(Baltimore, MD) - The Kennedy Krieger Institute announced today the nomination of three representatives from its International Center for Spinal Cord Injury (ICSCI) to the Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Hall of Fame?. Patrick Rummerfield, record-setting athlete and patient relations liaison at ICSCI, has been nominated in the sports category; Phyllis Gray, executive director, for the corporate executive category; and Lisa Walther, a physical therapist assistant at ICSCI, for the assistive technology category.

CHICAGO (February 21, 2007)-Kennedy Krieger Institute, an internationally recognized facility dedicated to improving the lives of children and adolescents with disorders of the brain and spinal cord, will host "Roasting Jim McMahon" at Morton's The Steakhouse Westchester, located at One Westbrook Corporate Center, on Saturday, March 31 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.; roast starts at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are priced at $250, which includes a full buffet and two cocktails, with all proceeds to benefit spinal cord injury research at Kennedy Krieger.

Baltimore - One of the world's leading spinal cord researchers, Dr. John McDonald, will join the staff of Kennedy Krieger Institute to establish a program to serve patients with spinal cord injury and paralysis.

The physician who helped the late actor Christopher Reeve recover some sensation, movement and moments of independence from his ventilator, Dr. McDonald founded and served as director of the Spinal Cord Injury Program at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. At Kennedy Krieger Institute, he will serve as director of the new Spinal Cord Research Center.