What is the Coalition for Brain Injury Research?
The Brain Injury Research Act went into effect in January 2004. New Jersey became the first state in the nation to provide a continuing funding source for basic-science brain injury research. The research is funded by a $1 surcharge on all traffic violations in the state and will generate approximately $4 million annually. Research grants will be reviewed and awarded on a yearly basis.

Why was the coalition created?
The main focus of the organization is to support the search for a brain injury cure. Neuroscientists within the state now have a commitment of resources to conduct brain-cell regeneration research.

How did you get involved with the commission?
In 1984 my son was struck by an automobile, which resulted in a severe brain injury. The accident left him totally disabled. He is now 37 years old, and we still continue his care at home. After years of rehabilitation we realized the only hope he and others had for improvement was a cure. To achieve that goal, we formed the Coalition for Brain Injury Research. The coalition was instrumental in passage of the Brain Injury Research Act. Emotionally, it was quite an overwhelming experience. As the executive director of the NJCBIR, I have been given the opportunity to help not only my son, but thousands, perhaps millions, of others in similar situations.

How many people suffer from brain injuries?
In the United States an estimated 5.3 million people suffer the debilitating effects of brain injuries. Nationally, approximately 1.4 million new cases occur each year; 50,000 die; and another 90,000 experience the onset of lifelong disabilities. Traumatic brain injury has a higher rate of occurrence than most major disorders. To help focus attention on the magnitude of this problem, March is recognized as Brain Injury Awareness Month.

Why hasn’t research focused on finding a cure?
When someone suffers a brain injury, they are no longer able to articulate their needs, and the families are so consumed with the resulting devastation and hopelessness that the primary concern is caring for the individual. Secondly, the medical community has never approached brain injury as a curable disorder.

Is a cure a realistic goal?
Absolutely. New technologies and recent advances in the neurosciences have shown that the brain does have the capacity to heal and, with help, may one day be able to repair itself.

What types of research show the most promise?
Stem-cell research, gene therapies, nerve-growth drugs, tissue transplants, etc. I am not a scientist, but I understand that these approaches have the potential to achieve the goal of developing a cure. The economic cost as a result of brain injuries is estimated to be $48 billion annually.

What is New Jersey doing with regard to brain injury research?
Some very basic science, including stem-cell research and understanding brain-cell death, is under way in labs at UMDNJ, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers and Princeton universities, and the Coriell Institute. They can be considered the first steps in the long road to neuron repair.

Steve Adubato is an Emmy-winning anchor for Thirteen/WNET and host of One-on-One With Steve Adubato on the Comcast Network.