A catastrophic injury catalyzes a powerful commitment to help people with spinal cord injuries

For NFL Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti and his son, Marc, who suffered a spinal cord injury while playing college football in 1985, tragedy became the catalyst for a lifelong commitment that has since revolutionized what we know about paralysis from spinal cord injury. For more than two decades, The Buoniconti Fund has made it possible for The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis to conduct pioneering research toward the shared goal of discovering effective treatments and a cure.

The Miami Project, founded in 1985 by Nick Buoniconti and neurosurgeon Barth Green, is now the most comprehensive and renowned spinal cord injury research center in the world. Support from The Buoniconti Fund, spearheaded by University of Miami trustee and alumnus Marc Buoniconti as president, enables more than 250 international scientists and clinicians at The Miami Project to make tremendous strides in addressing the many challenges of spinal cord injury. Buoniconti Fund commitments to Momentum2 have totaled $60 million.

For more than two decades, The Buoniconti Fund has made it possible for The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis to conduct pioneering research.

Recent major breakthroughs include the development of cooling techniques in the early stage of injury to limit damage, exercise interventions to reduce muscle atrophy and effects of vascular disease, and novel cell therapies that have shown up to a 70 percent return of normal walking function in preclinical models. Today The Miami Project is on the cusp of beginning FDA human clinical trials, bringing new hope to millions of people who dream of being able to walk again.

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