Austin, TX-March 12, 2009- The Brain & Spine Center at University Medical Center Brackenridge, a member of the Seton Family of Hospitals, is one of a select group of hospitals in the country exploring the opportunity to participate in a ground-breaking clinical trial that could transform treatment of individuals with spinal cord injuries.
Seton's expert physicians, clinicians and researchers in spinal cord injuries are joining other experts from around the world at the Adult Stem Cell & Spinal Cord Injury Summit on Thursday, March 12 through Saturday, March 14, 2009 at UMC Brackenridge. The summit, sponsored by the Lone Star Paralysis Foundation and co-hosted by UMC Brackenridge, W.M. Keck Center, and StemCyte, Inc., is the first gathering of prospective investigators in a clinical trial aimed at testing use of adult stem cells in treatment of spinal cord injury patients.
Dr. Wise Young, founding director of the W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience at Rutgers University, New Jersey, and world-renowned neuroscientist, is spearheading the summit. He has already proposed a series of trials being carried out by the China Spinal Cord Injury Network (ChinaSCINet).
"Many people with spinal cord injury in the United States have indicated their interest in traveling to China for this trial," says Dr. Young. "We felt that it would be a shame for American patients to travel to China for therapies that have been developed in the United States. Thus we propose to start the North American Spinal Cord Injury Clinical Trial Network in this country."
Dr. Thomas Caven is the Medical Director at UMC Brackenridge. "Having some of the leading spinal cord injury researchers from around the world gather to discuss the latest research and treatment provides a tremendous amount of hope to those living with spinal cord injuries," explains Caven.
The Adult Stem Cell and Spinal Cord Injury Summit will conclude with an Open House Question and Answer forum hosted at the Seton Family of Hospitals St. Vincent de Paul auditorium (1345 Philomena Street) on Saturday, March 14th from 1:00-4:00pm. Dr. Wise Young will address more than 200 people with spinal cord injuries and their family and friends about the latest research and treatments.
About the Brain & Spine Center:
The Brain & Spine Center, offers a variety of programs to help patients with disorders of the brain and spine. These programs include stroke, epilepsy, tumors, aneurysms and vascular malformations, spasticity and movement disorders, head injuries, and back and spine/spinal cord problems.
Seton is proud to have four hospitals – the only hospitals in Central Texas - that have earned the