Dr Madison Paton, Senior Research Fellow at Cerebral Palsy Alliance (CPA), has been awarded the 2023 Rising Star Award by the Australasian Society for Stem Cell Research (ASSCR) for her excellence in research and leadership in the early stages of her career.
Madison has been working in the Regeneration Theme at CPA for over five years, with a focus on the potential of stem cells to treat those with, or at risk of, brain injury. Cerebral palsy is the most common physical disability in childhood and in most cases is caused by an injury to the developing brain either during pregnancy or shortly after birth.
Madison’s early work in the lab has helped to establish some of Australia’s first-ever clinical trials of umbilical cord blood stem cells as a treatment for cerebral palsy and other neonatal conditions. Her clinical research now supports new trial design and hopes to bring more research to Australians.
“I am very honoured to have received this award and truly believe I am working in the most important area of research,” said Dr Madison Paton. “Cell therapies is a fascinating space. The potential we are seeing in early phase human research makes me inspired to keep exploring new treatments for cerebral palsy and drive larger research projects. I am inspired by the families we work with and love seeing this research come to life.”
CPA is a ground-breaking, global centre of expertise for cerebral palsy research, advocacy, intervention and assistive technology innovation. CPA is the world’s largest private funder of cerebral palsy research, and its team of over 40 researchers collaborates with researchers and institutions across the world, on how to further reduce the incidence and severity of cerebral palsy.
The Australasian Society for Stem Cell Research was established in 2007 with the aim of supporting stem cell research and encouraging scientific exchange across Australia and New Zealand, and worldwide.
