Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research

The Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center (SCoBIRC) at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine (SCoBIRC) was established in 1999 in large part through the support of the Kentucky Spinal Cord and Head Injury Research Trust (KSCHIRT). This trust, initially funded by surcharges on Kentucky traffic tickets, is used to fund grants at the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville in the areas of spinal cord and brain injury. KSCHIRT funded endowments further support the SCoBIRC mission, enabling our vibrant research programs to make exciting advances in neuroscience research that demonstrate the potential for protection and repair of damaged neurons. The goal of the Center is to build upon these advances to find treatments that are more effective and ultimately to achieve functional repair of the injured spinal cord and brain.