We asked you to help to ensure that the best minds remain focused on curing spinal cord injury – and it’s working!
We’re absolutely chuffed to confirm that Dr. Jarred Griffin is the latest recipient of the CatWalk Postdoctoral Fellowship – and we couldn’t be more delighted. We can’t tell you how exciting and how wonderfully rewarding this news is.
Jarred was first introduced to spinal cord injury research working with Prof. Louise Nicholson and Dr Simon O’Carroll in the CatWalk-funded Spinal Cord Injury Research Facility (SCIRF).
His journey is a powerful example of what we’ve all been working so hard to achieve. To encourage, support and nurture the best research brains to focus on spinal cord injury. And now with an exciting, novel research proposal, Jarred is back in Aotearoa. Talk about a full circle!
We can’t overemphasise the importance of our Contestable Funding Round. Funding supported by your donations which has allowed Jarred to return and to remain focused on spinal cord injury research. Your donations directly support the novel, unique, extraordinary research funded through this programme.
Because we actively encourage it, we receive interesting, sometimes unusual, worthwhile research proposals. The Neurological Foundation’s experts screen applications for us. They often highlight amazing research that wouldn’t make the cut for their funding but fits within our drive for fresh new thinking.
Jarred’s Fellowship was confirmed by the CatWalk Board in February this year. After completing his doctorate here, he spent the past six years in post-doctoral research at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases. Now, he’s returning to New Zealand to rejoin his colleagues, peers, and mentors at Auckland University, working alongside our very own Spine Squad.
Jarred’s research is titled: “What is true regenerative plasticity? A novel molecular tracer to visualise nascent circuitry in the injured spinal cord” It aims to solve a long-standing neuroscience problem by enabling precise visualisation of regenerating axons. This breakthrough would transform connectomics (our understanding of how neurons connect and communicate) to confirm or challenge findings on plasticity after spinal cord injury. It’s an essential step in finding a cure and will set a new research standard for clinical treatments. It’s a globally significant piece of work.
2025: Jarred and Catriona at the Spinal Cord Injury Symposium
Our Contestable Funding round encourages novel, innovative research – the type of research that doesn’t get approved by others. It supports the exploration of ingenious solutions and unique pathways to find a cure. It fosters fresh, creative thinking. And, shared with our wider research team, it keeps us all racing towards a cure.
For every proposal we fund, we decline another three. We take the best, but we are missing opportunities – incredible ideas and exceptional researchers. We must grow our Contestable Funding pool. Your donations are so important.
Jarred’s work is different from, and complementary to, that of the Spine Squad. As well as his research, Jarred also brings back unique skills in light sheet microscopy to help further develop the team here.
A local boy, a twin, a dog-lover and an outstanding international spinal cord injury researcher. Welcome home, Jarred.
Our Contestable Funding is fully committed for the next two years. We must double this funding this year or miss vital research opportunities. Research that brings us closer to a cure every day. Please donate to find a cure today.
Make a difference, today.
Thank you.