Tim Reynolds Continues to Support Spine Lab
Tim Reynolds of Rumson, NJ, hopes his most recent gift of nearly $1.2 million to the Reynolds Family Spine Laboratory at UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School will someday allow Dr. Robert Heary, Dr. Stella Elkabes and their research team to find better treatments and a cure for the 250,000 people in the U.S. and millions of others around the world suffering with serious spinal cord injuries.
But Mr. Reynolds knows that is not a modest goal. That's why he's given more than $8 million since 2006 to establish and advance the Reynolds Family Spine Laboratory, where well-equipped researchers are working diligently to discover powerful therapies for chronic spinal cord injured patients by integrating basic and translational research.
Mr. Reynolds suffered a devastating spinal cord injury as the victim of a car accident in 2000. At that time, Dr. Heary performed surgery to help Mr. Reynolds attain a meaningful recovery, but the accident so badly crushed his spinal cord that Mr. Reynolds remains wheelchair-bound today. A second surgery by Dr. Heary in 2003 saved Mr. Reynolds from quadriplegia and imminent death when a syrinx (cyst) formed in his spinal cord and threatened the use of his hands and his brain.
"Since we established the Lab, our team of scientists have worked unselfishly to add valuable insights and knowledge about spinal cord injuries to the public domain," Mr. Reynolds explained."With my financial help and the brilliant minds of Dr. Heary and his team, we are using all of our energy to attack hugely complicated and critical problems related to spinal cord injuries. We know we can't solve this alone, which is why our mission statement mandates we donate our discoveries to the public domain."
Mr. Reynolds gifts have empowered the growing team to eagerly research and discover new insights.
"With Mr. Reynolds' support we have hired outstanding fellows, PhD and graduate student scientists, purchased needed equipment and embarked on a number of projects that will help us achieve our goals," Dr. Heary said. "His invaluable assistance allowed us to pursue a number of research avenues that we hope will eventually make a world of difference for those with spinal cord injuries."
Mr. Reynolds was able to make his most recent gift by donating stock options to optimize their value for the benefit of the Lab through New Jersey Health Foundation, the parent of the Foundation of UMDNJ, according to Dr. George F. Heinrich, vice chair and CEO of the Foundation.
"I am very proud of the team Dr. Heary has built at the lab and the progress they have made in a short time," Mr. Reynolds said. "I can't think of a better team or lab and IP structure to discover and share significant and expensive research. I plan to keep supporting the team as long as I am able."
