Spinal Research and the RFU’s Injured Players Foundation (IPF) have further strengthened their partnership aimed at improving the lives of those paralysed after a spinal cord injury.
The IPF, which supports players who have sustained life-changing injuries playing rugby union in England, has extended its current three-year funded partnership with Spinal Research for a further three years.
The initiative will support investment in innovative spinal cord stimulation research and will help further develop the recently formed Spinal Cord Injury Research Collaborative (SPARC).
This brings together researchers, clinicians and potential funders to accelerate advancements to get ground-breaking new therapies from the lab to the people who need them.
SPARC is led by Spinal Research, the UK’s leading charity funding and supporting research around the world to discover, develop and deliver new treatments for those living daily with the devastating consequences of a spinal cord injury.
Over the last three years, IPF funding has enabled Spinal Research to appoint a dedicated Clinical Research Network Manager for SPARC and to establish the formal structures needed to drive its work.
"We are so grateful that the IPF has agreed to renew its valuable partnership with us for a further three years. Their support has already played an important role in advancing our understanding of the potential benefits of spinal cord stimulation and to helping us create a worldclass clinical trials network testing potential new treatments and therapies. “This further, three-year partnership will enable further investment into key areas of research and take us closer to our shared goal of ensuring curing paralysis is the medical breakthrough of the 21st Century.”
Louisa McGinn, CEO at Spinal Research
The RFU Injured Players Foundation offers wide-ranging support to rugby union players, their families and friends when faced with a life changing-injury sustained while playing the sport. The IPF also works to prevent such injuries by supporting research and education.
Director Karen Hood said: “The IPF is really pleased to extend its partnership with Spinal Research.
“Funding research is a key pillar of our strategic approach as we continue to learn more about how we can improve the lives of our members living with spinal cord injuries, so they can all live the life they wish to lead.
“A core factor of our relationship with Spinal Research is enabling the sharing of our findings with other charities and organisations who can use the information to improve treatment options for the wider spinal injuries’ community.
“Funding the Clinical Research Network Manager role for SPARC to facilitate this is central to our partnership with Spinal Research and we’re excited to see that work progress over the coming years.”
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