For decades, progress in spinal cord injury (SCI) research moved in careful, incremental steps.
Scientists made important discoveries, but translating those findings into meaningful therapies proved far more difficult. Today, that landscape is beginning to shift. Advances in technology, deeper biological understanding, and new models of collaboration are opening doors that once seemed firmly closed.
Yet even in this moment of momentum, a critical challenge remains: moving promising ideas through the middle stages of research — after early discovery, but before human testing — where resources are scarce and risk is high.
“There’s a real funding gap at this stage of the research and development pipeline,” says Marco Baptista, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of the Reeve Foundation. “And without support at this point, many potential therapies never make it from the lab to human trials.”
To bridge this critical gap, the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation partnered with Spinal Research to award $1.5 million in preclinical grants.
In summer 2025, the Reeve Foundation and Spinal Research issued an open-call Request for Applications (RFA) focused on translational research for SCI. In addition to demonstrating scientific promise, applicants also had to outline a clear plan for how their work could move forward.
“The selected projects are all uniquely positioned to help advance a therapeutic through the R&D pipeline toward commercialization and clinical trials,” says Harvey Sihota, Chief Vision Officer at Spinal Research. “Each project includes an industry partner or another strategic approach for translating therapeutics into the clinic.”
The four funded projects reflect a range of approaches, institutions, and expertise — spanning academia and industry — while sharing a common goal: addressing real challenges faced by people living with SCI.
And the awards go to…
NOVO-120 to Address Bladder Dysfunction
Lead: CEO and Co-founder Travis Stiles, Ph.D., Novoroo Bioscience Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of Novoron Bioscience, Inc. | Therapeutic: Biologic
Bladder dysfunction is among the most common and disruptive consequences of SCI, affecting health, independence, and quality of life. NOVO-120 is an experimental drug designed to interfere with biological signals that prevent damaged nerves from repairing themselves.
In preclinical studies, animals treated with NOVO-120 showed earlier return of independent urination and healthier bladder function. Both outcomes directly enhance daily independence and reduce medical complications. This award will support additional safety studies and deeper investigation into how the drug works — essential steps in determining whether it is ready to advance toward testing in people.
“We’re deeply grateful for this support. While we’re encouraged by the motor recovery we see, we also know bowel and bladder function is a top patient priority in SCI and remains under-studied. This funding lets us build on promising preliminary data and rigorously evaluate bladder recovery with NOVO-120 using clinically translatable endpoints, a critical step toward improving the impact and feasibility of future human studies. If successful, this represents real progress toward delivering benefits that matter deeply to patients.” – Dr. Travis Stiles, CEO, Novoron
Engineered Neural Progenitor Cells for Chronic SCI
Lead: Michael Fehlings, MD, PhD, FRCSC, FACS, Professor of Neurosurgery and Co-Director of the Spinal Program at the University of Toronto | Therapeutic: Cell therapy (engineered neural progenitor cells)
Chronic SCI presents biological barriers that differ from acute injury. Dr. Fehlings’ team is advancing specialized neural progenitor cells designed to address two major obstacles to recovery: produce chondroitinase (chABC) to clear scar tissue that blocks regrowth and release glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) to support neuron survival. Both activities are tightly regulated so they act only where needed. The grant will support investigators in their efforts to further evaluate safety, understand how the cells behave in injured tissue, and complete the final preclinical steps required before human testing can begin.
NUPA-200 Combined with Rehabilitation
Lead: Nick Sather, Ph.D., Co-founder and CEO of Amphix Bio, and Samuel Stupp, Ph.D., Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer | Therapeutic: Scaffold/biomaterial
NUPA-200 is a novel, injectable gel made from self-assembling molecules that interact with cell receptors to support healing within an injured spinal cord. Early studies showed improvements in movement, prompting further investigation.
This project will examine how NUPA-200 performs when paired with structured physical rehabilitation, reflecting growing evidence that biological repair strategies may be most effective when combined with activity-based therapy. The study will help clarify how the treatment works and how it might be delivered in a real-world clinical setting.
Repurposing an FDA-Approved Enzyme Therapy
Lead: Sarah Mondello, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor at the University of Washington | Therapeutic: Enzyme replacement therapy (galsulfase )
Since the therapeutic already has an established safety record, investigators expect the approach to move more quickly toward human studies than a newly developed drug. The research team will study optimal delivery methods and evaluate its effectiveness in SCI models.
This project explores a new application for an FDA-approved enzyme replacement therapy currently used for a rare genetic disorder. The therapy targets specific molecules in scar tissue that interfere with nerve repair, while leaving
supportive elements intact.
The science in SCI has advanced rapidly. The challenge now is ensuring promising therapies receive the support they need at this early, but decisive, stage of development.
“These awards mark a moment when targeted funding and collaboration can translate possibility into tangible options for people living with SCI,” says Sihota.
For the SCI community, these projects represent measurable progress: targeted work on bladder function, chronic injury, rehabilitation-informed therapies, and faster translational pathways. For the field, they reflect a collaborative model that brings together academic insight, industry expertise, and patient-centered priorities.
“These awards represent more than an investment in individual projects — they mark a turning point in how we pursue cures,” said Maggie Goldberg, President & CEO of the Reeve Foundation. “By deliberately targeting the critical middle of the research pipeline, we are accelerating the path from discovery to impact. This is how we move the field forward with urgency, intention, and confidence in what’s possible for the SCI community.”
