Jen Dulin, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Biology;
Director of the Texas A&M Spinal Cord Initiative, Texas A&M University
Abstract
The Winding Road: Trends in Spinal Cord Injury Research Over the Last 15 Years
Over the past several decades, spinal cord injury (SCI) research has advanced from foundational studies defining injury pathology to a rapidly expanding landscape of biological, technological, and translational interventions. Yet progress has not been linear, and long-standing scientific, financial, and structural barriers have slowed the pace at which promising discoveries reach the clinic. In recent years, our collaborative work with U2FP has provided new, data-driven clarity on these barriers: clarity that is essential for charting a more efficient and impactful research future.
Through a systematic analysis of federal SCI research funding, we examined more than a decade of awards across NIH, DoD, and VA. This work revealed striking mismatches between patient-identified priorities and actual funding distribution, highlighted redundancies and gaps across biological and translational categories, and illuminated the disproportionate investment in early-stage basic research relative to clinical translation. Importantly, it also identified areas where strategic increases in targeted funding could accelerate therapeutic development.
Our parallel effort, a systematic assessment of SCI clinical trials worldwide, further demonstrated the need for improved trial design, standardization of outcome measures, and diversification of therapeutic approaches. By mapping all interventional trials across categories such as cell therapies, neuromodulation, activity-based interventions, scar-modifying strategies, and neuroprotective agents, we identified trends in therapeutic stagnation, underexplored opportunities, and the persistent “valley of death” between preclinical innovation and clinical execution. Together, these analyses underscore a central theme: we are generating promising science, but our translational pipeline remains fragmented and under-optimized.
Bio
Dr. Jen Dulin is an Associate Professor of Biology and the Wesley Jay Thompson Chair in Neurobiology at Texas A&M University, where she directs a multidisciplinary research program focused on neural stem/progenitor cell transplantation, neuromodulation, and combinatorial therapeutic strategies for spinal cord injury. She also serves as Director of the Texas A&M Spinal Cord Initiative, an integrated network of laboratories dedicated to advancing translational SCI research. Dr. Dulin’s work spans basic, preclinical, and translational science, with an emphasis on understanding circuit-level mechanisms of recovery and developing interventions that enhance functional regeneration after injury. In partnership with Unite2Fight Paralysis, Jen has led systematic analyses of SCI research funding and global clinical trials to identify gaps and accelerate translational progress. Dr. Dulin is widely recognized for her mentorship, leadership in collaborative science, and commitment to aligning research priorities with the needs of the SCI community.
