When we started Paralysis Net News a few months ago, the intention was to glean all relevant information on the Net that could be found to be of possible relevance in the advancement of our common cause for cure. Also, at the time, I guess I was being somewhat lazy in my research outside the Net, and perhaps naive to believe that there is yet enough substantial and interesting information to satiate our appetites. I think we can be encouraged by all of the new web sites that provide access to valuable data relevant to spinal paralysis and it's eventual cure. We want to make sure that any and all good research is linked from this page. So, if you are aware of a good site that we have missed, please bring it to my attention so we can share it with others. Also to those who operate these sites and maintain pertinent information and research, you are cordially invited to share it here with the astute readers of PNN.

Given the increasing general interest in spinal cord paralysis and the acceleration of information being provided on the Net, it is probably a good bet that most relevant and useful information relating to the healing and cure of paralysis will eventually find itself on the Net. Starting this month, our Internet Service Provider, InfoWest, has made it more convenient for all of us netters to communicate our ideas to one another by setting up the new, Online Research forum. If you would click onto it, you would see that it is a lot like the newsgroups...just more interesting, graphic, and intimate. Hopefully more informative and intelligent, as some of your great insights and concepts find their way here. You might want to start using this interactive medium by doing me a favor. I'm serious here. I know there are many out there who can provide better answers and responses to those who write letters to the editor than I can. I am not an M.D. I'm not a practicing molecular biologist. I'm not even an SCI. I often ask myself what I did to ever get into this. So, when I ask for your help in the interactive arena, you can believe that I really need it.

Other relevant issues and articles, history and discussion which is not yet readily available on the Net will be made available right here at this site. As you can see at the top of this publication, we are calling it PARALYSIS NET NEWS. We hope you enjoy it and feel free to participate.

As for more and more interesting data becoming available on the Net, I was privileged to have the renowned NIH writer and editor, Norman J. Oliver spend some time with me recently concerning their objectives of providing us netters with over 150 pages of quality data concerning various aspects of the current state of research on various subjects of interest. Before the end of this year they anticipate being able to provide rather full descriptions and summaries of research being done throughout their 22 labs, with initial emphasis on useful breakthroughs, results of various trials. Alerts and news stories of current interest will be one of the areas we will want to visit often, I'm sure. The NIH also seems interested in being able to reduce their huge annual tab for the copying of various publications that heretofore have been free of charge to the public. When they provide the data on-line it can be downloaded and copied by the public at will.

As you are likely aware, the NIH has a helpful service up and going already that provides help searching all current grants in their database. You can search all new NIH grants, grants funded by specific interests and by selected universities. Try http://medoc.gdb.org/best/fedfund/nih-intro.html Or simply use the link near the top of our links list on the CPN home page. You might want to read the documentation and instructions to make your search a little easier.