Miami Project to Cure Paralysis
Founded1985
FounderNick Buoniconti and Barth A. Green
TypeMedical
FocusSpinal cord injury and brain damage
Location
Coordinates25°47′18.74″N 80°12′44.57″W / 25.7885389°N 80.2123806°W / 25.7885389; -80.2123806
Area served
Global
OwnerUniversity of Miami
Key people
Marc A. Buoniconti, President
W. Dalton Dietrich, Scientific Director
Suzanne M. Sayfie, Executive Director
Diana C. Berning, Administrative Director[1]
Revenue
$23 million[2]
Employees
250[3]
Websitewww.themiamiproject.org

The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis is a spinal cord injury research center and a designated Center of Excellence at the University of Miami's Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine in Miami, Florida.

The Miami Project was co-founded in 1985 by Barth A. Green and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Nick Buoniconti after Buoniconti's son, Marc, sustained a spinal cord injury during a college football game. The Miami Project's international team is housed in the Lois Pope LIFE Center and includes more than 250 scientists, researchers and clinicians.

Clinical trials

In July 2012, The Miami Project was granted approval by the U.S. FDA to proceed with a Schwann cell implantation clinical trial. In November 2012, doctors from the University of Miami implanted the first patient with his own Schwann cells, initiating phase 1 of the trial, a test of the safety and efficacy of the technique.[4][5]

Buoniconti Fund

The Buoniconti family established The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis in 1992, a non-profit organization devoted to assisting The Miami Project.

Lois Pope LIFE Center

The center is located in the Schoninger research quadrangle at the University of Miami's Jackson Memorial Medical Center. It was named in honor of Lois Pope, who donated $10 million toward its construction, and of her charity Leaders in Furthering Education (LIFE).

The building opened on October 26, 2000. Pope's gift also funds 20 LIFE Fellows for neurological research.[6][7] The six-story 180,000 sq ft (17,000 m2) building cost $28 million and was designed by MGE Architects.[8] The block of Northwest 11th Avenue in Miami in front of the building has been named Buoniconti Drive.[9]

References

  1. ^ "Management and Faculty". Univ. of Miami. Archived from the original on 2010-12-21. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
  2. ^ "Message from the President". Univ. of Miami. Archived from the original on 2011-06-13. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
  3. ^ "Message from the Chairman". Univ. of Miami. Archived from the original on 2010-12-21. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
  4. ^ "Clinical Trials Initiative Update". Archived from the original on February 13, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  5. ^ "FDA Gives Miami Project Green Light for Phase 1 Clinical Trial". TheMiamiProject.org. July 31, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2017. The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, a Center of Excellence at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, has received permission from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin a revolutionary Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate the safety of transplanting human Schwann cells to treat patients with recent spinal cord injuries.
  6. ^ "The Lois Pope LIFE Center Will Be Top Neurological Research Facility In The World". LIFE. Archived from the original on 2010-12-08. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
  7. ^ "Lois Pope LIFE Center". Univ. of Miami. Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
  8. ^ "Lois Pope Life Center". Total Systems Commissioning, Inc. Archived from the original on 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
  9. ^ "Maps and Directions". Univ. of Miami. Archived from the original on 2011-05-24. Retrieved 2011-01-18.

External links

University of Miami
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