Cleveland Clinic receives $1M federal grant for spinal research

Yu-Shang Lee

The Cleveland Clinic has received a $1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to fund research on treating spinal cord injuries.

The research is aimed at developing surgical treatments that would promote nerve regeneration and restore bladder function to patients who’ve suffered serious spinal cord injuries, according to a statement from the Cleveland Clinic.

Yu-Shang Lee, of the Clinic’s Neurological Institute, is leading the effort.

“In our laboratory work, we have been able to stimulate re-growth of nerve fibers damaged after spinal cord injuries,” Lee said. “If we can successfully re-grow the nerves in patients, then we may be able to one day alleviate paralysis in patients with spinal cord injuries.”

Vernon Lin, chairman of the Clinic’s Center for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation said Lee’s research “moves science one step closer to an eventual spinal cord transplant in humans,” according to the statement.

Other areas of research for the Clinic’s Neurological Institute include multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and sleep medicine.