12 June 2015

Royal Visit Highlights Kiwis’ World-Leading Research

The Spinal Cord Injury Research Facility got a royal welcome this morning – they escorted Zara Phillips MBE through their anatomy library to showcase exciting new discoveries that will one day help people in wheelchairs walk again.

Hot on the heels of her cousin Prince Harry, Zara is in New Zealand today as Patron of The CATWALK Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Trust – the New Zealand charity that raises funds to support the unit's groundbreaking work into paralysis.

Zara joined Minster of Health, the Hon. Dr. Jonathan Coleman and Minster of ACC, the Hon. Nikki Kaye on a tour of the Facility to get an intimate update on the breakthroughs happening in this area of research, of which Kiwis are world-leaders.

Zara Phillips has a keen interest in SCI research and has been supporting the Trust since its inception in 2005.

Dr. Simon O’Carroll of the Research Facility, based at the Centre for Brain Research at the University of Auckland, says the visit was a great opportunity to show key thought leaders how Kiwi researchers are leading the charge in Connexin (protein) research, directly related to reversing paralysis.

“We walked our visitors through our research showing how we are able to prevent the spread of damage following injury and how early delivery of our peptide has real potential to greatly improve outcomes for people who suffer a spinal cord injury,” says Simon.

Their research doesn’t stop at helping people in wheelchairs, Professor Louise Nicholson explains.

“The most startling discoveries in this new area of research are the unique connections between the brain and the spine, which together form the body’s information super highway.

“These connections spell good news for everyone – not just those with a spinal cord injury. Some of the very same research breakthroughs that will enable people to walk again could also help find a cure for many brain-related disorders - dementia, Parkinson’s and depression among them.”

Zara is joining CATWALK to celebrate the Trust’s 10-year anniversary – a black tie fundraiser for spinal cord injury research called The Need for Speed. The event is named to reflect the charity’s refreshed focus moving forward, Founder Catriona Williams says.

“When Christopher Reeve - Superman - fell from his horse, he challenged the belief that he would never walk again. At CatWalk, we're proud to continue that challenge into the next 10 years and beyond.

“The challenge now is that the astounding speed of discovery in this innovative field of research is happening faster than we can fund it.

“CATWALK’s ten-year fundraiser, The Need For Speed, highlights that the faster we raise funds, the faster people with spinal cord injuries – like me – will walk again.”

To date, CATWALK, with the help of its supporters, has raised more than five million dollars for its cause and established the Spinal Cord Injury Research Facility within the Centre for Brain Research at the University Of Auckland.

ENDS

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