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Today we are speaking with Dr. Damiano Barone. Damiano is a researcher and neurosurgeon at Houston Methodist Hospital in Houston. We discuss a recently published Nature Communications paper studying a novel spinal cord stimulation device. The device takes a new approach, having a section which wraps around the spinal cord, able to send stimulation and detect responses in the cord. This is in contrast to current epidural stimulators which stimulate only the dorsal section of the cord. The work is early, but with the data gained in the study we could be seeing some significant changes in spinal stimulation from this device, namely, the ability to bypass the injury site all together. I’m excited about this development and its potential for functional recovery. You don’t wanna miss this one - let’s get to it.

Today we’re talking with Megan Gill and Ryan Solinsky, both researchers at the renowned Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. We discuss a common problem in spinal cord injury neuromodulation work: abandoned technology, or the lack of support that comes after receiving a neuromodulating device like an epidural stimulator. The Mayo Clinic aims to address this gap in care and Megan and Ryan discuss how this new clinical offering will work. Additionally, they talk about two new spinal cord injury clinical studies that are being conducted by the Mayo. One is in the identification of pain bio markers. The other explorers electrical stimulation for lower motor neuron or peripheral nervous system deficits. Both of those trials are recruiting and the device support service is up and running. For information on any of these things, check out the links in the show notes below. More info: https://u2fp.org/get-educated/curecast/episode-148.html

Today's episode features Dr. Jill Wecht who is a Research Health Scientist at the Bronx VA and Devon Colbert, a retired firefighter and Navy Veteran who lives with a cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) and is an advocate/participant in SCI research. A while back, Devon proposed the idea for a clinical trial using psilocybin to Dr. Wecht and her colleague Dr. Noam Harel at the Bronx VA. When we heard that they were moving forward with potentially the first psilocybin trial in spinal cord injury (a safety trial), we reached out to schedule this interview. They are curious about the effect of psilocybin on mental health, but will also be collecting information about its effect on other functions. The hope is that it might have pro-regenerative effects that can warrant further investigation. We talk with them about the trial and the potential that psilocybin might hold as a treatment, both on its own and in combination with other interventions going forward. We learned a lot from the conversation and are excited to share it with you.

Today, we are discussing Patient Focused Drug Development (PFDD) for SCI with Ian Burkhart. The PFDD is an authoritative process initiated and recognized by the Food and Drug Administration for identifying the treatment priorities of the people who live with certain diseases or conditions. Ian is an influential, lived-experience advocate in the SCI community. He is the past President of the North American Spinal Cord Injury Association (NASCIC) and is one of the principal organizers of the PFDD. This process is incredibly important and has been referred to as a “once in a generation” opportunity. What should you know up front before we unpack all the details of the PFDD? Its main feature is a virtual community meeting where the SCI community can address the FDA about what is important to us! Which is why we need you to be present. Whether you live with an SCI, are a caregiver, researcher, clinician, funder, whatever. We are shooting for 1000 people to be present and hope to surpass that number. The meeting is September 29th and you can register to attend at www.scipfdd.org. More info: https://u2fp.org/get-educated/curecast/episode-146.html

Many of our discussions about SCI recovery deal with developing research strategies or interventions that are on the horizon. Today, we are discussing an intervention that can restore function right now: nerve transfer. Nerve transfers can be thought of as animating dead wires by redirecting current from live wires. To explain what's actually happening, we’ve brought on Dr. Justin Brown, who has pioneered the field and our friend, Macy Lauren Ledet, a recipient of nerve transfer surgery. Justin has... More info: https://u2fp.org/get-educated/curecast/episode-145.html

Zac Wolfe is known for his grit and determination. He is a great example of how you can live a full life with a spinal cord injury and still maintain the fire to push for better outcomes. A few years ago, Zac enrolled in a Department of Defense, SCIRP-funded clinical trial using transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) to improve upper limb function. In this conversation we bring on Zac and the principal investigator of the study, Dr. Ela Plow of the Cleveland Clinic, to discuss how tDCS works along with the details of the study and what function Zac recovered. We also talk about the role of belief and determination in study participants, the importance of advocacy, why siloed thinking hinders research progress, how small functional gains become cascades for additional recovery and much more. This is an interesting conversation that I know you’ll enjoy, so let’s get to it! More info: https://u2fp.org/get-educated/curecast/episode-144.html

This is part two of our conversation about SCI & AI with our guest Abel Torres-Espín. If you haven't listened to part one, you can find the link on our episode page. In today's episode, we wanted to focus more on what Abel is currently working on, including a recent publication of his, and continue the discussion about AI's limitations, opportunities, it's slop, biases, and most importantly what we can do to utilize artificial intelligence for deepening spinal cord injury research in optimal ways. Again, you'll want to check out the publication we discuss along with Dr. Torres-Espín's research page, both of which are linked on the episode page: https://u2fp.org/get-educated/curecast/episode-143.html

Today we are talking to Dr. John “Kip” Kramer about neuropathic pain. Dr. Kramer is a Principal Investigator and Associate Director of Operations at the International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries or iCORD at the University of British Columbia. His research interests include: Neuropathic pain, anesthesiology, MRI, Outcome measures and clinical trials. In this discussion we cover... More info: https://u2fp.org/get-educated/curecast/episode-142.html

We are very sad today as we re-broadcast this conversation with Reggie Edgerton. You may have heard that Reggie has died. We've lost a brilliant mind, and a long-standing research scientist who was focused on spinal cord injury. Reggie was a frequent presenter at our Symposia and a generous teacher and mentor to those in and outside the academy. We wanted to rebroadcast this episode as a remembrance of him but also because Jason and I were so impressed in this interview with Dr. Edgerton’s relentless curiosity, despite his pedigree and experience. That he was still, all these years later, trying to puzzle over how to improve plasticity after a spinal cord injury using neuromodulation and rehab. It was always a pleasure talking to Reggie. We are very sad that he is gone. I hope you listen to the interview and enjoy just how influential he was to the field of SCI research. Thank you, Reggie! Thank you for all the years of sharing your relentless curiosity with us. It's much appreciated.

Today we welcome back our friend Jen Dulin from Texas A&M University. We interviewed Dr. Dulin not too long ago about the research funding analysis project that she did in partnership with us. If you haven't listened to that, please check it out. Because that interview wasn’t central to what Jen works on in her lab, we promised her we'd have her back to talk about the scientific work she’s been pursuing for the last 20 years or so. Jen is working on neural stem cells, neural progenitor cells, for the purpose of regeneration, to graft cells into the injured cord in an effort to promote regeneration and restore function of a variety of kinds: motor, sensory, autonomic. This is a great discussion, so let's get into it.

In this episode of Curecast, Matthew Rodreick and Quinn Brett sit down with award winning hip-hop artist Brother Ali, who shares roots in Minnesota with Quinn. The conversation traces his journey from Minneapolis to Istanbul, reflecting on cultural identity, disability, and the power of community. He discusses the challenges and perspectives that come with living with albinism, the importance of art in expressing personal experiences, and the need for informed hope in the face of adversity. The conversation emphasizes the value of communication, the complexities of community, and the shared human experience of loss and resilience. More info: https://u2fp.org/get-educated/curecast/episode-139.html

This conversation explores U2FP's upcoming 20th Annual Science and Advocacy Symposium, reflecting on the past, present, and future of spinal cord injury research and advocacy. Jason and Matthew discuss the significance of this event, the importance of community engagement, and the need for legislative action to restore funding for spinal cord injury research. They describe some of the key speakers, sessions, and the unique opportunity for attendees to participate in advocacy efforts, starting with our in a Roll On The Capital happening on the last day of the conference. More info: https://u2fp.org/get-educated/curecast/episode-138.html

Today we are chatting with Dr. Michael Kilgard, a Researcher and Professor at the University of Texas and the Director of the Texas Biomedical Device Center. Michael is a leading voice in the field of neuroplasticity, our body’s ability to structurally and functionally adapt its nervous system throughout our lifetime. We discuss the potential and limitations of neuroplasticity for functional improvement after spinal cord injury and the role of Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS), in particular. We also cover the... More info: https://u2fp.org/get-educated/curecast/episode-137.html

Today we are talking with Dr. Nathan Makowski, a researcher at the VA Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, and the MetroHealth System in Cleveland, Ohio. Nathan's research specializes in the development of neuroprosthetics and the evaluation of their capacity to improve mobility outcomes after paralysis. Separate from his research roles at those institutions, Nathan is also the board chair for the non-profit organization, GiveAHand.tech. We discussed the idea of using an open-source mechanism to... More info: https://u2fp.org/get-educated/curecast/episode-136.html

Today, we're talking to Dr. David Darrow for a second time. Check out episode 30 for our first discussion. David is a neurosurgeon and assistant professor in the departments of neurosurgery and psychiatry at the University of Minnesota. Many of you will also know that he is a researcher and the primary investigator of the successful and ongoing E-Stand trial, which uses epidural stimulation and optimization protocols for delivering functional outcomes for the SCI community. We discussed the E-Stand trial, how it's progressing, and highlights from its now eight years of running. We also talk about the FDA and the quandary of determining what is meaningful in the eyes of research participants, as well as with regulators. And we get into spinal cord stimulation data sharing, the exciting horizon of combinatorial therapies, and much, much more. As you will hear on this call, David is a smart, innovative, forward-thinking ally of the SCI community. More info: https://u2fp.org/get-educated/curecast/episode-135.html