Endparalysis Foundation : lancement en Juin 2014
Officially launched! The Endparalysis Foundation was officially launched on June 27th, 2014, in the Netherlands. A room full of people with various background and interests were all carefully listening to the reasons why the foundation was created and about its specific profile and innovative way of working. Many spontaneous compliments were received, so it looks like it was a success!
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Big thanks! From our side, it was just wonderful to be able to share the result of our work and our objectives, through interventions from various members of our team. It is also amazing and truly reassuring that so many people who are in no way affected by a spinal cord injury themselves, are open enough to the subject and are willing to support the project! Great thanks to everybody who attended or shared their support!
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Our team: we are international! Why? Because a global problem requests a global solution! During our launch event, we got introduced to a few members of our global team. Via Skype, Ruth (from the UK) told us what it was like to live as a quadriplegic but also why she joined the Endparalysis Foundation as a cure advocate. Then Mark Bacon (scientific director of Spinal Research- UK) highlighted the critical role of foundations in order to accelerate spinal cord injury research. Subsequently, Chris (USA) mother of a child with SCI explained how she kept monitoring scientific progress w.r.t spinal research, in collaboration with our other partner Unite to Fight Paralysis. The audience greatly appreciated the broad perspective offered by these talks. Read more on our international partners and team members, here.
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Time for more scientific contents! Pr Verhaagen, the Dutch authority when it comes to spinal cord regenerative research and a member of our scientific committee, explained the multiple mechanisms and issues that make a spinal injury such a complex condition. Luckily, he also highlighted a few of the research strategies that are lined up across the world and have a potential to deal with each of the problems! Now, all scientists and researchers agree that various therapies will need to be combined in order to achieve very significant and solid results (functional recovery) in people. That is one of the reasons why the endparalysis foundation mainly targets international collaboration! Also take a look at our global scientific committee.
Our first research project! Our first research project: During our launch event, both Dr Mark Bacon and Pr Verhaagen explained the basic purpose and mechanism. It’s about making a therapy ready for trying it on human beings. Scar tissue appearing within the spinal cord after a spinal cord injury is one of the factors preventing regrowth in the central nervous system. Now, Chondroitinase is an enzyme that has shown the ability to neutralize that scar and has shown very promising results when tried on animals. The recovery can extend from improving/recovering breathing and hand function (for quadriplegic patients) to bowels and bladder control and possibly ambulation ability. Nevertheless, the safe and optimal delivery of the enzyme to a human spinal cord has to be ensured before we can go to clinical trials. The target is to be ready to apply for clinical trials by end 2017. Read more here.
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It was fun too! After the serious talks, it was time for some drinks, talks and laughs! We thank our sponsor Seats2Meet Strijp S for accommodating the event and offering the drinks! More info here. For more pictures on the event, see here
