Queensland’s Motor Accident Insurance Commission has pledged $5 million over the next three years for research into a new treatment for spinal cord injuries.

The Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery will use the funds to develop a treatment that isolates cells from the nose to produce a biodegradable cell bridge over the injury site.

James St John, Head of the Clem Jones Centre for Neurobiology and Stem Cell Research at Griffith University, will lead the project. His team is already developing a method of purifying and implanting cells to trial in animals. 

SpinalCure Australia estimates more than 12,000 Australians have spinal cord injuries, and the lifetime cost of paraplegia is estimated to be $5 million per person. The lifetime cost of quadriplegia is about $9.5 million per person.

Car accidents are the main cause of traumatic spinal injuries, with males aged 15-24 most at risk.

The recently introduced National Injury Insurance Scheme has been pivotal in providing lifetime care and support to people with such injuries.