Matthew Reeve becomes Patron of Spinal Research
Matthew Reeve, the eldest son of Superman actor Christopher Reeve, has become a Patron of Spinal Research.
Matthew has been a Trustee and Board Member of Spinal Research for seven years but has now taken on the role of Patron to more actively support a new era of breakthrough research into spinal cord injuries.
Spinal Research Chair of Trustees Tara Stewart, herself paralysed after a riding accident, said: “We hugely appreciate Matthew’s passion, commitment and knowledge in the field of spinal cord injury and are honoured that he has agreed to become a Patron.
“We have lots of exciting plans coming up in 2026 and are looking forward to continuing to work with him to drive forward delivering function restoration to the injured.”
Spinal Research is a partner charity of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation in America, set up by Matthew’s father who was paralysed from the neck down after a horse-riding accident in 1995. The actor, activist and campaigner for spinal cord injury research died nine years later, aged just 52.
Matthew, who is also on the Board of Directors of the Reeve Foundation, said: “When my father had his accident there was little hope for those paralysed after a spinal cord injury.
“But new developments in treatments, therapies and technologies are really shifting the dial.
“It is an incredibly exciting time in the field and I feel honoured to be helping Spinal Research continue and expand their incredibly important work to get these new treatments from the lab to people in wheelchairs as soon as possible.”
Spinal Research funds and supports the most promising research into spinal cord injury repair and has just launched a new initiative to get breakthrough therapies, treatments and technologies to paralysed people at speed and scale.
The Spinal Research Recovery Alliance aims to bring the spinal cord injured, researchers, clinicians and industry partners together in a crusade towards a cure.
It incorporates a Clinical Trial Tracker to link the spinal cord injured with cutting-edge trials recruiting in the UK and internationally. And a new App is being developed that will help collect and deliver real-world evidence and outcomes to researchers.
Alongside the continued funding of new research and clinical trials, Spinal Research is launching a £100,000 pilot to real-world test the first function restoring treatment for chronic spinal cord injury to be cleared for use in the UK.
“This is a genuinely exciting and pivotal moment,” said Stockholm-based film producer and screenwriter Matthew.
“The Recovery Alliance will help create a best practice platform for the real-world testing of new therapies and treatments that will significantly transform lives. But it’s more than just another programme. It’s a movement that puts the spinal cord injured community at the heart of progress towards making cures for paralysis a reality.”
