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Ed. Note: The following
is a press release from the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation.
Nov. 17 - The Research Review Act,
which will promote collaborative paralysis research, passed the U.S.
Senate in a late night session Tuesday evening. The Act incorporates a
vital component of the pending Christopher Reeve Paralysis Act which calls
on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to prepare a report on how they
have and how they will encourage the use of multidisciplinary research
teams to advance treatments, develop new therapies, and collaborate on
clinical trials with respect to spinal cord injury and paralysis research.
Introduced with bipartisan
support by Congressional sponsors, Michael Bilirakis (R-Fla.) and Sherrod
Brown (D-Ohio) H.R. 5213 passed the House on Oct. 7 and the Senate on Nov.
16 unanimously. The act defines key goals of the scientific community -
encouraging collaboration and coordination and limiting research
redundancy. It also mandates the release of a report by early next year
that quantifies NIH's success to promote coordination in the area of
paralysis research. Disability advocates are encouraged by this first-ever
piece of legislation approved in the United States that directly addresses
spinal cord injury and paralysis research.
"The Research Review Act focuses
on what the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation (CRPF) has supported
for years -- collaboration between great research minds," said Kathy
Lewis, president and CEO of CRPF. "It is our belief that coordination is
the only way to achieve the Foundation's goal of finding more effective
treatments and a cure for paralysis," continued Lewis.
The passage of the Research
Review Act paves the way for the re-introduction of the Christopher Reeve
Paralysis Act (CRPA) early in the next Congressional session. The CRPA
seeks to advance research into paralysis and rehabilitation and to improve
the quality of life for people living with paralysis.
"Christopher Reeve was extremely
proud of the Research Review Act and understood the importance of shining
a bright, Congressional light on the work being funded by the NIH and by
his Foundation," said CRPF Senior Vice President Michael Manganiello. "We
are saddened that Christopher is not here to see this landmark legislation
pass, but we are committed in his memory to fulfill the initiatives
outlined in the CRPA," concluded Manganiello.
The Research Review Act expands
research information regarding multidisciplinary research projects and
epidemiological studies. The bill was developed in coordination with
Congress, the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation, and the Christopher Reeve
Paralysis Foundation.
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The Christopher Reeve Paralysis
Foundation (CRPF) is committed to funding research that develops
treatments and cures for paralysis caused by spinal cord injury and other
central nervous system disorders. The Foundation also vigorously works to
improve the quality of life for people living with disabilities through
its grants program, paralysis resource center, and advocacy efforts.
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