The Core Pilot Program is designed to give investigators who work in fields other than spinal cord research the opportunity to participate in pilot studies of potential therapeutic interventions for spinal cord injury. Since many of the processes involved in spinal cord injury have parallels in other neurological injuries and diseases, it is possible that 'cross-over' strategies may provide new ways of understanding the mechanisms behind spinal cord injury, and also point out new directions for novel treatment options.

Until now, it was difficult to gain support for grant proposals that sought to bring these kinds of alternative strategies into an animal model of spinal cord injury, due to the significant investment of time and effort required to establish these model systems in a lab which has not previously worked with them. The Core Pilot Program will allow investigators to overcome that barrier by partnering with the Reeve Foundation Injury Core Laboratory, an established lab with extensive experience in animal model work. The two sides will collaborate to develop a course of experiments that can be conducted at the Core . Based on the results obtained, the investigators will be able to determine whether the mechanisms and strategies warrant further exploration. The program will also support knowledge-sharing and training initiatives aimed at furthering investigators' technical skills and expanding the scope of spinal cord research overall.

To learn more about the Core Pilot Program, read "A Conversation with Aileen Anderson" -  Associate Professor at UC Irvine and Scientific Director of the Reeve Foundation Injury Core Laboratory.

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