Research aims to help people with spinal cord injuries

Posted: February 18, 2014 11:20 a.m.

Biology Professor Josef Buttigieg Photo courtesy of Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation

A chance encounter with Rick Hansen in elementary school led to a fascination with biology for Dr. Josef Buttigieg.  That fascination has turned into a $100,000 grant over two years from the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF) to the biology professor’s research at the University of Regina. Buttigieg’s work is aimed at improving the lives of people with spinal cord injuries.

In the healthy spinal cord a signal is sent along the nerve, and then the nerve is turned off. In spinal cord injuries, the nerve is being crushed, which hampers its ability to turn off. This results in the nerve dying and forcing other nerves to do the same in an uncontrolled manner. Buttigieg has discovered a way to turn off these neurons during the crush injury. Early work by Buttigieg has discovered that by using a drug that targets protein called a BK channel, he can limit the severity of spinal cord injury and in some cases reverse paralysis.

Buttigieg is one of five people to receive SHRF funding in this latest round. This second round of grants in Saskatchewan’s five-year partnership with the Rick Hansen Institute will continue to support research aimed at reducing paralysis and improving health care outcomes and quality of life for people living with spinal cord injuries.