SP-CERN : SP-CERN : Research : Spastic Paraplegia Foundation

SP-CERN The Spastic Paraplegia – Centers for Excellence Research Network

Investigators dedicated to researching Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP) and Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS) from around the United States have come together to create critical resources for the HSP and PLS community. The SP-CERN (Spastic Paraplegia Centers of Excellence Research Network) establishes a network of ten initial centers in North America. These centers bring together established physician-scientists and their multidisciplinary teams. SP-CERN will support the development of a registry and natural history study across all ages, a biobank for research biospecimens, and a genomic archive. These efforts will lay the groundwork for numerous opportunities to improve diagnosis and clinical trial readiness. Our objective is to harmonize this effort with similar consortia in Canada, Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa, to accelerate basic and clinical research on HSP and PLS globally. SP-CERN will provide critical research infrastructure for collaborative, high-quality research on HSP and PLS in North America and beyond.

The Spastic Paraplegia – Centers for Excellence Research Network (SP-CERN) is the first Spastic Paraplegia Research Consortium in the United States

The goal of the SP-CERN is to create clinical trial readiness, support therapy development, and increase access to high-quality healthcare for individuals with hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) and primary lateral sclerosis (PLS). Physician-scientists and their multi-disciplinary teams from ten different research centers across the United States will collaborate to develop a framework for translational research for HSP that will ultimately improve the lives of children and adults affected by HSP and PLS.

SP-CERN Team

Principal Investigator

Darius Ebrahimi-Fakhari, MD, PhD

Boston Children’s Hospital
Director, Movement Disorders Program; Attending, Department of Neurology
Assistant Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School

Co-Investigators

Stephan Züchner MD, PhD

University of Miami
Professor for Human Genetics and Neurology
Chief Genomics Officer, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine
Mario Saporta MD, PhD

University of Miami
Associate Professor of Clinical Neurology
Director, Muscular Dystrophy Association Care Center
Director, Charcot-Marie-Tooth Center of Excellence
Craig Blackstone, MD, PhD

Massachusetts General Hospital
Chief, Movement Disorders Division; Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Daniel Calame, MD, PhD

Texas Children’s Hospital
Assistant Professor of Pediatric Neurology and Developmental Neurosciences
Baylor College of Medicine
Matthew Harms, MD

Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Associate Professor of Neurology; NewYork-Presbyterian / Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Clinical Neurophysiology, Neurology, Neuromuscular Medicine
John Fink, MD

University of Michigan
Professor in the Department of Neurology
Director of the Neurogenetic Disorders Program; University of Michigan Medical School
Michelle Christie, MD

Scottish Rite for Children
Medical Director of Neurology & Rehabilitation Medicine
Director of Neurophysiology; Scottish Rite for Children
Michael Shy, MD

University of Iowa
Director, Division of Neuromuscular Medicine, Neurology; University of Iowa Health Care
Professor of Neurology, Pediatrics, & Molecular Physiology and Biophysics; Carver College of Medicine
University of Washington: Marie Davis, MD, PhD

University of Washington
Board certified neurologist; UW Medicine-University of Washington Medical Center
Assistant professor in the Department of Neurology; UW School of Medicine
Donald Gilbert, MD

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center: Donald Gilbert, MD
Pediatric Movement Disorders and Tourette Syndrome Specialist, Division of Neurology
Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics