Proceeds raised through the Lone Star Classic event fund a variety of research projects through The University of Texas, University of Colorado, Rutgers University, and others. By diligently examining research efforts, LSPF is able to identify initiatives that show the most promise for a cure and can be expedited with funding provided by LSPF. These are some of the research initiatives we are involved in.

The Corticospinal Tract Regeneration Project
Regenerating Nerve Connections to Reverse Paralysis in the Chronic Injury Setting
Oswald Steward, Professor of Anatomy & Neurobiology
Director, Reeve-Irvine Research Center
University of California Irvine School of Medicine
Funding P-ten inhibition study on acute and chronic spinal cord injury in both rats and primates
$45,000

Phase 1 clinical trials of PEG
UT Austin & U Penn
Dr. Charles Bitner & Dr. Richard Trevino
Patient with completely cut digital nerve at base of index finger and PEG-fusion repair (approximately 24hrs later) with micro sutures. Expect to see some sensation return in ~3 months. This was the first surgery of its kind.
$50,000

The Austin Helix & Mini Catheter
Dr. Tiffany Ricks
Seton Healthcare Family and Medical Innovation Labs
Revolutionizing an indwelling catheter to decrease infection and improve quality of life for those with spinal cord injury.
$50,000

Lone Star Collaboration Award
Cure Paralysis Now
University of Adelaide, Australia
Dr. Anna Leonard - Department of Neuroscience
Dr. Claire Jones - Biomedical Engineering
Hypothesis that surgical duraplasty (opening, expanding and re-sealing the dura) post-SCI will provide greater space for the spinal cord to swell, thereby reducing ITP, potentially improving blood flow, promoting cell survival, and ultimately leading to improved functional outcome.
$50,000 donation with $50,000 matching grant

Ohio State University
Dr. Sung Yoon
Improving bladder function after spinal cord injury
$50,000

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10-31-2016: Phosphatase and Tensin homolog (PTEN)
The vast majority of experiments using PTEN inhibition in animals with SCI have been in acute injury models. Some of the experiments have used mice that were genetically engineered to lack PTEN. The experiments that showed 95% recovery to normal were done in adult rats with acute injury.
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Simply stated, PTEN can be thought of as a brake on the molecular pathways that enable cellular growth. PTEN is switched off during childhood, allowing growth and development, and switches on again after adolescence to prevent cellular overgrowth. Secondarily, PTEN is being studied as a potential cancer tumor suppressor gene. Switching on PTEN after adolescence has a side effect. It is critical in blocking nerve regeneration. The research teams found that turning off PTEN enables unprecedented nerve regeneration, including the regeneration of the connections that control one’s ability to move voluntarily.
The collaboration between Drs. He and Dr. Steward has resulted in 11 published papers. The acute injury research has been so well established that it is time to test the PTEN inhibition in primates with acute SCI. There is a well-known expression in the biotech world. The expression is “the valley of death”, which refers to the time after an initial discovery is made until the time that a commercial entity can pick up the research for funding. The acute injury research has traversed the valley of death and the startup company named Axonis will fund the acute injury primate research.
99.9% of the humans with SCI have chronic injuries. Chronic injury research is our highest priority. There are 2.5 million people living with chronic SCI in the United States and Europe. Clearly we can impact the most lives by developing a treatment for chronic injury. One can calculate the financial costs of chronic SCI but it is impossible to put a number on all the pain and suffering that accompanies chronic spinal cord injury.
The chronic injury research needs to traverse the valley of death.
There is a strong indication that the chronic injury research experiment might have positive results. Kai Lu was the postdoctoral researcher in Zhigang He’s lab who performed the experiment that resulted in the PTEN breakthrough. Dr. Lu went on to form his own lab at Hong Kong University. In the summer of 2015 Dr. Lu published a paper showing very good regeneration of CST axons in a chronic injury model.
We need to further Dr. Lu’s observation of regeneration in chronic injury and prove that the regeneration in chronic injury can lead to recovery.
The lack of chronic injury experiments is directly attributed to the increased cost of running a chronic injury experiment. We have a golden opportunity to test and prove that the treatment that caused the best recovery in the history of acute spinal cord injury research can cause similar recovery in chronic SCI injury research. I can’t over emphasize the importance of funding this experiment.
Thank you again so much for your interest helping to make history. -Bob Want

VIDEO: PTEN the cure paralysis?

02-07-2014: University of Texas at Austin Center for Neuroscience
The University of Texas Research - funded by Lone Star Paralysis Foundation - publishes major breakthrough in Nerve Repair Surgery. Learn more.
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