Grants and Contracts Details
Description
Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy (DCM) is the number one cause of non- traumatic spinal cord
injury (SCI) worldwide [1]. DCM encompasses several conditions that result in compression of the
spinal cord at the cervical level [2]. While surgery improves outcomes for most patients, about 30
percent see no improvement or worsened symptoms after treatment [3, 4]. Currently, there are
no accessible tools to enhance prognostics and develop better treatments for this highly prevalent
condition. Clinical success with neuronal biomarkers such as GFAP, to indicate concussion severity
[5, 6], supports the application of blood biomarkers for neurological conditions. Here, we will
utilize blood samples and MRI images being collected in a current clinical research program
(NCT05446259, IRB#73840 run by Neurosurgeon Dr. Francis Farhadi, M.D./Ph.D. (see letter of
rec)) to establish biomarkers for DCM. Further we will develop a rat model of DCM and subsequent
decompression surgery to facilitate translational DCM research. Specifically, we will utilize an
established screw-based model of DCM that recapitulates the human condition, is gradable in
severity, and is MRI-compatible to align with human diagnostics [7-9]. We will then back translate,
from bedside to bench, decompression surgery in the rat. We hypothesize that functional recovery
after decompression surgery in rats will mimic human recovery and that the newly developed
model will facilitate translation and biomarker discovery for bench to bedside application.
Status | Active |
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Effective start/end date | 2/1/25 → 1/31/28 |
Funding
- KY Spinal Cord and Head Injury Research Trust: $99,417.00
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