Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41204714›Full record

ArticleJournal of neurotrauma2025

Funding Distributions, Trends, Gaps, and Policy Implications for Spinal Cord Injury Research: A Systematic Analysis of U.S. Federal Funds.

Tucker Gillespie, Andrew Buxton, Bethany R Kondiles, Miranda Leal-Garcia, Mia R Pacheco, Ashley V Tran, Katie Vo, Lucy Abu, James Barr, Tanya A Barretto and 25 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of neurotrauma, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

35 authors.

Tucker GillespieDepartment of Biology, Texas A&M University, Texas, USA.
Andrew BuxtonDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, Texas, USA.
Bethany R KondilesDepartment of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Miranda Leal-GarciaDepartment of Biology, Texas A&M University, Texas, USA.
Mia R PachecoTexas A&M Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, Texas, USA.
Ashley V TranDepartment of Biology, Texas A&M University, Texas, USA.
Katie VoDepartment of Biology, Texas A&M University, Texas, USA.
Lucy AbuDepartment of Biology, Texas A&M University, Texas, USA.
James BarrSan Francisco State University, San Francisco, California, USA.
Tanya A BarrettoDivision of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Jason BiundoUnite2Fight Paralysis, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Sam DuenwaldDivision of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Abigail EvansDepartment of Biology, Texas A&M University, Texas, USA.
Timothy N FriedmanInternational Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Isabella GadaletaDepartment of Biology, Texas A&M University, Texas, USA.
Saahas GaneshUniversity of California, San Diego, California, USA.
Bryson GottschallDepartment of Biology, Texas A&M University, Texas, USA.
Peyton GreenDepartment of Biology, Texas A&M University, Texas, USA.
Grant LeeSolon High School, Solon, Ohio, USA.
Lilian LiuTompkins High School, Katy, Texas, USA.
Raza N MalikInternational Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Elizabeth J NavaDepartment of Biology, Texas A&M University, Texas, USA.
Chiara SoraniDepartment of Communication, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA.
Vansh TandonDepartment of Biology, Texas A&M University, Texas, USA.
Hannah ThomasDepartment of Biology, Texas A&M University, Texas, USA.
Kyndal ThomasDepartment of Biology, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, Texas, USA.
Chris BarrUnite2Fight Paralysis, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Ian BurkhartUnite2Fight Paralysis, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Dylan A McCreedyDepartment of Biology, Texas A&M University, Texas, USA.
Peter NowellUnite2Fight Paralysis, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Heath BlackmonDepartment of Biology, Texas A&M University, Texas, USA.
Alexander G RabchevskyUnite2Fight Paralysis, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Matthew RodreickUnite2Fight Paralysis, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Abel Torres-EspínSchool of Public Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Jennifer N DulinDepartment of Biology, Texas A&M University, Texas, USA.

Funding

Dissecting Connectivity and Function of Transplanted Interneurons in the Injured Spinal CordR01NS116404 · NINDS · TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY · PI DULIN, JENNIFER N · 2021 to 2025
$1.8M
NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS116404
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Federal agencies including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Defense (DoD) Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) Spinal Cord Injury Research Program (SCIRP), and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provide the majority of funding for spinal cord injury (SCI) research in the United States. However, systematic evaluation of how funding is distributed across research areas, therapeutic approaches, and translational stages has been limited. To understand the distribution of funds, we curated and classified 1,589 federally funded SCI research awards from the NIH (2008-2023), the CDMRP SCIRP (2009-2023), and the VA (2017-2025). Each award was annotated based on the biological system or problem studied, the therapeutic intervention or approach utilized, and its placement along the translational continuum. Our analysis revealed that the NIH predominantly supports basic and early-stage translational research, especially in areas of SCI pathology, regeneration, and motor functional recovery. In contrast, the CDMRP funding is more concentrated on applied and clinical research, particularly in the areas of pain, bladder function, and neuromodulatory device development. The VA predominantly invests in rehabilitation-focused studies and interventions aimed at improving musculoskeletal and functional health outcomes. While the complementary missions of these agencies collectively support a diverse SCI research ecosystem, we identified critical gaps in funding for high-priority areas such as bowel/gastrointestinal health, cardiovascular function, and mental health. Furthermore, the recent discontinuation of the CDMRP SCIRP and proposed NIH budget reductions are projected to lead to an approximate 50% decline in federal SCI research funding by 2026-posing a substantial risk to the field's progress and threatening the stability of this ecosystem. These findings underscore the urgent need for coordinated, data-driven funding strategies that align more closely with the needs and priorities of the SCI community. To that end, we propose the development of a publicly accessible "living dashboard" to enhance transparency, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and guide strategic investment in SCI research moving forward.

Indexed as

CDMRPDoDfederal fundingNIHresearch fundingspinal cord injurysystematic analysisVA

Identifiers

PMID41204714
PMCPMC13097131

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.