Column of Hope (COH) Research Receives Major Grant

We are pleased to announce that the NHMRC, the Australian equivalent of the NIH, has awarded our research team AU$729,270 over 4 years. This funding makes a game changing increase to our current support for Dr. Marcus Stoodley’s world leading team and affirms the scientific significance of our past and current work.

The funds will be used to dramatically increase the speed of our current study to identify the exact anatomical outcome requirements of surgery to: 1) resolve the debilitating Chiari headaches 2) restore and improve cognition in Chiari patients 3) prevent or resolve syringomyelia caused by Chiari malformation.

The news comes on the heels of the publication of COH studies from the University of Akron and from Sydney, Australia in recent weeks, and changes to Australian COVID-19 restrictions which allow Dr. Stoodley’s team to resume performing research MRIs.

COH is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization. We thank our volunteers and supporters who have allowed us to fund world leading syringomyelia research, and make a major contribution to Chiari malformation research, producing 3 dozen peer reviewed journal articles in addition to an international research conference and numerous physician and patient education forums.