Welcome to the Scientists' Section of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation website. This section of our website is designed for researchers who need information about our research grants and programs in spinal cord injury, and for anyone seeking more in-depth knowledge about the exciting and forward-thinking science that we support.

A spinal cord injury is one of the most complex traumas the body can sustain.  It is a condition that affects one American every 49 minutes. In addition to paralysis, individuals living with spinal cord injury are continually challenged by serious health problems, and those who struggle with the dysfunction of severe high cervical lesions are in particular jeopardy. Those factors, combined with the almost incalculable economic and societal consequences of spinal cord injury, are CDRF's driving forces.

The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation occupies a unique position in the spinal cord research community. Since 1982, under one name or another, it has aggressively pushed all accepted boundaries by seeking out the best and brightest scientists and encouraging them to tackle the enormous challenges of spinal cord repair. CDRF's research philosophy is bold, forward-looking, and strategic.  Among its research grantees and scientific advisors are many of neuroscience's most renowned individuals. Its research portfolio includes seminal discoveries, carefully calculated risks that have paid high dividends, and a critical mass of solid science that is the springboard for moving toward human application.

CDRF's research philosophy encompasses the bench-to-the-bedside continuum. Its research programs take deliberate aim at all points in this spectrum, from very basic science -exploring the molecular and cellular mechanisms of injury and repair - to clinical application, creating networks of highly skilled centers to test or deliver promising therapies as they emerge from the research pipeline.