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Spinal Cord Injury Research Program

Effective July 2012, the Missouri General Assembly passed an increased funding authorization for the Spinal Cord Injuries and Congenital or Acquired Disease Processes Research Program from $625,000 to $1.5 million. 

This additional funding will allow awards for more proposals from research institutions around the state, enhancing the attractiveness and competitiveness of the program. It also will make larger-scale studies more feasible by allowing researchers to receive up to $250,000 per year for one to two years. Funding for the program comes from the state’s Spinal Cord Injury Fund, supported primarily by fines for intoxication-related offenses in Missouri.

Also in July, Andrew McClellan was appointed director of the program. As a professor of biological sciences at the University of Missouri, a long-term goal of his research program is to understand how neural networks in the nervous system produce locomotion behavior. His laboratory has identified some of the key cellular and molecular mechanisms that contribute to successful neural regeneration and behavioral recovery following spinal cord injury.

“Having been engaged in spinal cord injury research since 1985, I am excited about becoming the new director of this program. I hope to increase the number of laboratories involved in spinal cord injury research in the state of Missouri, and as a result, this will contribute to finding cures for spinal cord injuries, promote better health care for SCI patients in our state and increase the visibility of our program nationally.”

—Andrew McClellan, Director
UM Spinal Cord Injury Research Program

5 total projects funded in FY12

$943,492 awarded in FY12

For more information on the Spinal Cord Injury Research Program, click here.