Chen Lab

Spinal Cord Injury Research

We study how spinal cord injury disrupts neural circuits and what it takes to restore function. Our work focuses on neuronal protection, motor recovery, autonomic dysfunction, and neuropathic pain—with an emphasis on moving findings toward the clinic.

Latest News & Updates

AwardDec 2025

Joseph Sandoval wins Best Poster at Mission Connect

Joseph Sandoval won overall Best poster in SCI at Mission Connect for his poster 'Decoding Motor States in SCI Locomotion'.

PublicationAug 2025

Paper accepted in Journal of Neuroscience

Sensory deficits in mice with lateral spinal cord hemisection mimic the Brown-Séquard syndrome was accepted for publication.

AwardAug 2024

Joseph Sandoval awarded Craig H. Neilsen Foundation funding

Undergraduate researcher Joseph Sandoval received funding from the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation to support his computational locomotion analysis research.

AwardNov 2024

Chen Lab trainees win awards at Mission Connect Symposium

Wei Li won 1st place in the SCI Postdoc/Fellow category and Melissa Henwood won 2nd place in the SCI Graduate Student category at the Dr. Robert G. Grossman Mission Connect Scientific Symposium.