E.S.C.R.I.
2003 ESCRI Report is now available. Please refer to Secreteriat Foundation for the Research of Spinal
Cord Lesion for information.
Following the model of
the E.B.R.I. founded by Rita Levi Montalcini we feel the necessity to
constitute a research institute aiming to promote all the studies in the
filed of neuroscience and to incentivate the development of new techniques
applied to neuroscience, among which: genomics, proteomics and neuro-informatics
and to contribute to post graduation formation promoting high level accademical
courses of specialisation as well as PhD courses, programs and international
links and interchanges.
Clinical and experimental research were done first by the Foundation for
the Research of Spinal Cord Lesion under the direction of prof. G. Brunelli
with his team starting in 1979-80 by means of various surgical protocols
aiming to connect the C.N.S. directly with the P.N.S. by means of grafts,
excluding all the cord below the lesion.
Research was continued since 2002 by the multidisciplinar team above mentionned.
Research allowed the demonstration (for the first time) of innervation
of muscles disconnected from the C.N.S by means of axons coming from upper
motoneurons (with exclusion of the lower motoneurons) with glutamate transmitter
and not anymore with the proper transmitter for motor end-plates: the
ACh. The research the team of the E.S.C.R.I. want to do is:
• Histochemical and T.E.M. analysis of the motor end-plates reformed
after glutamatergic reinnervation.
• Derivation of action motor potentials from single muscular cells.
• Use of stem cells to explore the possibility that they can establish
synapsis with the axons descending from the upper rmotoneurons an can
send out their own functional action. More possible research that E.S.C.R.I.
could do after its completion is:
• Cultivation of reactive astrocytes and search for inhibitor drugs
first in vitro and then in vivo to test the possibility of preventing
the non-permissivness of C.N.S. for the axons progression.
• Research of drugs able to block the secondary histological damages.
• Research of drugs capable of hinibit the scar formation at the
level of the injury.
Therefore it is necessary to use advanced
technologies and equipments to allow the progression of research.
The European Spinal Cord Research Institute proposes itself to run the
international symposiums on the experimenta spinal cord lesions which
have been run every two years by the “Foundation for the Research
on Spinal cord Lesions”. The institute shall be named ESCRI (European
Spinal Cord Research Institute) and will try to obtain recognition and
economic help from Italian and European academic institutions as well
as from governative, national, regional, provincial and municipal bodies.
The institute will contact industries of high technology and great added
value in order to obtain important economic allowances. In order to establish
the ESCRI, according to the idea of professors Brunelli and Spano (which
has obtained the approval of prof. Rita Levi Montalcini) a promoting committee
has been set up as follows:
-Prof.ssa Rita Levi Montalcini honorary president
-Prof. Giorgio Brunelli (Foundation for the Research on Spinal cord Lesions)
-Prof. Pierfranco Spano (Manager of the Pharmacologica Institute, School
of Medicine University of Brescia)
-Prof. Klaus Von Wild (Neurosurgeon, President of AMN, Munster)
-Dott.ssa Viviana Beccalossi (Vice pres. Of the Regione Lombardia)
-Prof. Sergio Barlati (Manager of the Istitute of Biomedical and Biotecnology
Sciences, University of Brescia)
-Prof. Marina Pizzi (Pharmacological Institute, School of Medicine University
of Brescia)
-Prof. Luisa Antonini (Istitute of Neurophysiology, Brescia Hospital)
-Dott. Bruno Guarneri (Istitute of Neurophysiology, Brescia Hospital)
-Prof. Sandro Fontana (Senate of the Italian Republic)
-Prof. Ezio Lodetti (Manager of the Zooprofilactic Experimental Institute,
Brescia)
-Prof. Alessandro Padovani (Chair of Neurology, University of Brescia)
-Prof. Sergio Cosciani (Chair of urology, University of Brescia)
Prof. Andrea Nistri (Chair of cellular and molecolar pharmacology International
School of advanced studies of Trieste)
-Dott.ssa Ivana Bonvento (Delfo Istitute)
-Ing.Arturo Lotito (Vice-president of the Foundation for the Research
on Spinal cord Lesions)
-Dott. Lombardi (Zooprofilactic Experimental Institute, Brescia)
-Dott. Giuliano Taccola (International School of the advanced studies,Trieste)
-Prof. Dott. Lazzari (University lecturer, economic and commerce, Brescia).
Dott. Titti Petruzzi (Private Hospital Villa Serena Pescara)
Dott. Oriana Santilli (Private Hospital Villa Serena Pescara)
Prof. Michele Merle (Directeur de l’Institute Europeenne des recherches
des nerfs, France),
Prof. Ive Allieu (Institute Montepellierain de Chirurgie de la Main, France),
Prof. Thomas Carlstedt (Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, United Kingdom),
Dott. Stefano Ferraresi (Neurologist, Public Hospital Rovigo)
Prof.Tufan Kaleli (University of Uludag,Turkey)
Prof. Claes Hultling (Karolinska Universitetssjukhuset-Sweden),
Prof. Alex Muset (Fac. Medicina Univ.di Barcellona, Spagna),
Prof. Privat (Fac. de Medicine Univ. of Montpellier, France),
To this list more promoter member will be added and we are searching and
inviting scientist, politicians, industrialists, who could help us to
obtain the contribution of social, political and industrial bodies allowing
the realisation of this research institute which aims to gather interest
and expertnesses of high quality in the field of neuroscience.
The ESCRI aims also to offer to researcher of various countries the possibility
of meeting in a unified centre with the highest standard of human, structural
and economic resources.
A strict collaboration has already been established with the Institute
of Neuroscience of the CNR (National Institute for Research) in Milano
chaired by prof. Francesco Clementi of the department of Pharmacology
Chemo-therapy and Medical Toxicology of the University of Milano and with
Dr.Maura Francolin, researcher of the same institute for the Istochemical
and T.E.M. demonstration of the motor end-plates after C.N.S.-P.N.S. connection.
Another collaboration has been activated with prof. Fabrizio Eusebi and
dott. Francesca Grassi of the department of Human Physiology and Pharmacology
of the “La Sapienza” University in Rome to derive evoked potential
from single muscular cells after glutamatergic reinnerva tion.
The E.S.C.R.I. will also take care of functional re-education of the operated
patients in collaboration with specialised out-stations as well of the
Social Assistance in collaboration with specialised institutes.
The provisional seat of E.S.C.R.I. is:
at the Secretariat of
the Foundation for the Research of Spinal
Cord Lesion, Brescia
Via Galvani 26,
tel. 030 3385131, fax 030 3387595,
e-mail escri@midollospinale.com
