ICCP Announces Outstanding Young Investigator 2000

Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation
Wednesday, 25 October 2000

Wednesday, October 25, 2000 The International Campaign for Cures of Spinal Cord Injury (ICCP) announced today the winner of its inaugural Outstanding Young Investigator Award. Elizabeth Coulson, Ph.D., from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Australia, was awarded the $3500 prize for her project, "Development of p75-inhibitor TAT peptide for in vivo CNS delivery."

The ICCP Young Investigator Award is intended to recognize recent contributions of a promising young scientist and in so doing encourage and facilitate his/her lifelong commitment to the field of spinal cord repair and regeneration. Specifically, the grant is for interlaboratory travel and expenses for a spinal cord study or learning experience. ICCP member David Prast, of the Australasian Spinal Research Trust, said of the Award, "We have created it to promote excellence in spinal repair research among young neuroscientists, and to increase international public awareness about spinal cord injury and the very real potential to develop effective treatments and cures."

Dr. Coulson's research focus is on understanding how nerve cells undergo developmental death and determining whether this death program is reactivated after injury and disease. Loss of spinal function is often due to the death of central and peripheral nerve cells or myelinating cells. Although the actual triggers of this neurodegeneration are not always understood and will likely vary considerably, they may lead to activation of a common neural cell death pathway. The neurotrophin receptor, p75NTR, has been implicated in the death of nerve cells in development of the nervous system and in several neurodegenerative conditions. Therefore, p75NTR is probably an active player in the common death pathway and a therapeutic target for spinal regeneration and repair.

The aim of Dr. Coulson's ICCP-supported project is to determine if inhibiting the p75NTR pathway can stop the progress of neurodegeneration. To do this, she will travel to the St. Louis Washington University laboratory of Steven Dowdy, Ph.D., home of Tat technology, which will enable her to use in vivo a peptide derived from the protein Tat to combat neuronal damage and degeneration. Upon her return to Australia, Dr. Coulson will set up this cutting-edge technology in the laboratory of her mentor, Perry F. Bartlett, Ph.D.

The mission of ICCP is to expedite the discovery of cures for paralysis caused by spinal cord injury. Partners are the Australasian Spinal Research Trust, Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, International Spinal Research Trust, Kent Waldrep National Paralysis Foundation, Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and the Rick Hansen Institute.

Members of the ICCP Outstanding Young Investigator Review Committee included Albert J. Aguayo, M.D. (Canada), Douglas K. Anderson, Ph.D. (USA), Perry F. Bartlett, Ph.D. (Australia), Jacqueline C. Bresnahan, Ph.D. (USA), W. Dalton Dietrich, Ph.D. (USA), James Fawcett, Ph.D. (UK), and Luis F. Parada, Ph.D. (USA).

For more information, or to contact Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, see their website at: www.christopherreeve.org