New Directions of Cerebral Palsy Research

1. Clinical Trials –
   Clinical trials provide evidence for clinical care practices and strategies for treating disease. They are an essential component for moving promising basic research findings to the bedside.  Increasing CP clinical research will increase interest and knowledge about CP/developmental disabilities among clinical investigators, which in turn, will attract more junior faculty committing to this field of research. UCPREF is interested in partnering with other institutions to fund clinical trials that test rehabilitative and pharmacological interventions that have shown promise in restoring motor and cognitive function in persons with other disabling conditions to provide evidence for new clinical care strategies in CP.

2. Early Detection and Diagnosis -
   Early detection and diagnosis of CP with concomitant early treatment may lessen the extent and severity of the disability.  Cutting-edge technologies such as neuroimaging can provide early detection and objective diagnosis of disease. 

3. Basic Research -
   UCPREF would like to issue focused RFPs for proposals that explore early interventions such as hypothermic therapy, which has shown promise in reversing brain injury similar to that seen in CP infants. Other promising therapies include the administration of stem cells and trophic factors, which must be tested further in animal models of CP.

4. Restore Institutional Awards -
   UCPREF aims to increase capacity in CP research by increasing the number of investigator awards given each year to outstanding young investigators and by helping to establish focal points in each region of the country for clinical research into CP through our academic institutions awards. These programs are good examples of how UCPREF can leverage its limited funding by building research infrastructure that can eventually attract funding from other private and public sources.