SCoBIRC MISSION

The Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center (SCoBIRC) at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine was established in 1999 to promote both individual and collaborative studies on injuries to the spinal cord and brain that result in paralysis or other loss of neurologic function.

The mission of the Center is to:

• Discover, translate and develop pharmacological, gene therapy or cellular treatments to minimize damage, promote repair mechanisms and enhance regeneration and remyelination following spinal cord or brain injury.
• Enhance the understanding of the acute pathophysiology of spinal cord and brain injury and mechanisms that regulate neuronal plasticity, axonal guidance and myelination.
• Identify biomarkers that can be used to track post-traumatic pathophysiology and the effects of neuroprotective and neurorestorative treatments
• Help identify innovative clinical trial methodologies and therapeutic endpoints
• Improve the use of rehabilitation strategies to maximize treatment effects