At the Mount Sinai Spinal Injury Cord Program we provide persons with new or longstanding spinal cord injury (SCI) with opportunities to participate in clinical trials of new drugs and interventions that may lessen the impairment, or increase a person’s ability to function independently. 

We have participated in the use of biologic therapies for the treatment of SCI, including implanting neutrophils (Proneuron) and stem cells (StemCells) into the spinal cord.  Our staff and faculty also conduct research on various aspects of SCI treatments and outcomes, collaborating with prominent researchers in the United States and around the world. A portion of our research is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR); sponsors of other projects include pharmaceutical industry and non-profit organizations.We have been instrumental in developing and validating an international consensus classification of pain after SCI working with partners from across the globe. This classification has been integrated into the International SCI Pain Data Sets and is the current standard for classifying pain after SCI throughout the world. Pain is a huge problem after SCI with the majority of persons experiencing chronic pain and there are few effective therapies. We are testing novel ways of treating pain after SCI.We work closely with the National Center for the Medical Consequences of Spinal Cord Injury at the James J. Peters VA Medical Center. Investigators in this center have academic appointments within the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. We have co-located a Cardiovascular/Autonomic Lab and a Robotic Exoskeleton Lab, directed by Ann Spungen, PhD and Tsai Chung-Ying PT, PhD, on the same floor as the inpatient rehabilitation unit. 

Current Research Studies 

The following are the research studies currently underway at our Center: 

• Effects of incorporated exoskeleton assisted walking in SCI acute inpatient rehabilitation 

• ExaStim Upper Limb Pivotal Clinical Validation Study 

• Mount Sinai Spinal Cord Injury Model System 

• Safety, feasibility, and efficacy of transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation on stabilizing blood pressure for acute inpatients with spinal cord injury 

• Feasibility, Reliability, and Long-term Prognostic Capability of the International Standards to Document Autonomic Function after Spinal Cord Injury (ISAFSCI) during acute inpatient rehabilitation – Mount Sinai Lead Module 

• Accelerating Racial and Ethnic Equity in SCI Rehabilitation Outcomes Module 

• The Status of Oral Health in People with Spinal Cord Injury in the United States Module 

• Spinal Cord Injury Pain Evolution (SCIPE) 

• Validity of Interview and Online Self-Report Versions of the Motor and Sensory Components of the Neurological Exam for Classifying Spinal Cord Injury 

Participating in Research 

As part of our commitment to every person living with SCI, we are constantly striving to discover and develop new and improved therapies. In order to innovate, we need your help. Your involvement in research today can lead to breakthrough technological advances for the treatment of spinal cord injury. We are grateful to those who have contributed to advances in the field by participating in our studies. 

Publications 

Experts at the Mount Sinai Spinal Cord Injury Program at Mount Sinai regularly publish research findings in peer-reviewed journals, text books, and as manuscripts. For our recent publications visit HERE.