Jon and Louise Nicholson Spinal Cord Injury Scholarship

This doctoral scholarship supports research focused on modulating the inflammatory environment for stem cell therapy in spinal cord injury (SCI). The project addresses the challenge that stem cells typically die within hours of engraftment into injured spinal cord due to the hostile inflammatory tissue microenvironment. The research will investigate how nalfurafine, a kappa opioid receptor agonist, can change the inflammatory environment to promote stem cell survival. Using immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry and -omics analysis, the project will examine how nalfurafine affects specific immune cell populations and the lesion environment in both acute and chronic spinal cord injury. This is a collaborative project between the University of Auckland, Victoria University Wellington and the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Australia. The scholarship provides a tax-free stipend of $34,569 per annum with annual CPI adjustments plus full tuition fees for three years.