The Insurance Commission of Western Australia (ICWA) has injected funding to a pioneering research on spinal cord repair to deliver improved outcomes for Western Australians with spinal cord injuries.
The project, facilitated in partnership with the Neurotrauma Research Program (NRP) at the Perron Institute, aims to reprogram cells that form scar tissue surrounding the spinal cord injury into neurons (nerve cells), so new circuits are formed to restore function.
The research team includes Stuart Hodgetts, from the Perron Institute and the University of Western Australia, as chief investigator, as well as an investigator from Penn State University, US, and Jinan University, China.
“The Hodgetts research is novel with the potential to significantly benefit people with a spinal cord injury,” said Kane Blackman, ICWA secretary. “The funding we provide to the Neurotrauma Research Program is a proactive initiative to help improve the outcomes, and find new methods of treatment, for Western Australians with acquired brain and spinal cord injuries. The cost to the Insurance Commission of lifetime care and support for a person with a spinal cord or other catastrophic injury can be immense – over $4 million on average – which is why we support innovative research to help manage future claims costs.”
“We are very grateful for the financial support from the Insurance Commission to perform what could be a game-changer in terms of potential therapies,” Hodgetts said. “It allows us to further develop our novel strategy with a range of different approaches.”
The Hodgetts research project was selected following a competitive application and scientific peer-review process.
