There are many people that have/are conquering spinal cord injury, but there are for more that aren't fortunate enough to have that chance. There are over 11,000 spinal cord injuries every year in the U.S. alone. A cure would improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of people affected by SCI.

The work of Dr. Wise Young is helping to move us towards a cure. He does his work as the head of the W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Dr. Young has been profiled by CNN and TIME as one of America's best scientists, as well as being named one of the 'Best and Brightest of 2005' by Esquire magazine.

Click these links for the articles on Dr. Young: (they will open in a new window)

CNN/TIME

Esquire

Many people have strong opinions on the morality of embryonic stem cell research and whether it should be federally funded. Others are unsure of their position on the issue. The problem is, many people are uninformed or misinformed as to what embryonic stem cell research actually is.

First, a common misconception is that embryonic stem cell research is illegal. This is not true. Any private funding for research from an investing company is legal. Problem is, is that investing in this research is risky given the attitude of the government towards the research. State funding is legal as well. California and New Jersey are spending the most money on research of the few states that do fund it.

For an animated description showing how stem cell lines are created, click here.

Help Now

The Parknson's Action Network is an organization that supports stem cell research that allows anyone to get the word out to their community or elected officials about research. I have used the site many times to send pre-written letters to senators, congress, etc. Check it out if you want to make a difference. It is the quickest and easiest way to get the word out and have your voice heard.