News Story

The new AUSD$500,000 grant supports a three year study into cardiovascular problems which follow spinal cord injury. Quadriplegic patients who have suffered acute spinal traumas often experience disturbances in blood pressure, including autonomic dysreflexia, where pressures suddenly rise to dangerously high levels which can be life-threatening.

The study will focus on whether special neural support cells in the nose (olfactory ensheathing cells, OECs) can improve blood pressure after spinal cord injury and the mechanisms underlying this recovery. This is the first study to attempt spinal cord repair for cardiovascular dysfunction and potentially improve the quality of life for spinal patients.

Three investigators will collaborate on the project, Professor Phil Waite and Dr Pascal Carrive from the School of Medical Sciences, UNSW and Professor Alan Mackay-Sim from Griffith University in Brisbane.