20 Years of Wings for Life

A wide-open space in Salzburg. Photos hanging on delicate threads from the wall, their movement barely perceptible. Each individual picture tells a story – and represents a leg of an unprecedented journey. The journey of Wings for Life.

Anita Gerhardter, Heinz Kinigadner, and Jan Schwab reunite for an extraordinary journey through time. As the managing director, founder, and scientific director of Wings for Life, they form the heart, soul, and brain of the foundation. They stroll through a collection of large, printed photos hanging from the ceiling – snapshots, flashes in time, memories. “I believe we all remember the time when this photo was taken,” says Kinigadner, reaching for one of the images. It shows a young man in a hospital bed. Heinz’s son Hannes, 19 years old at the time, had suffered a high-level spinal cord injury during a fall. “I took this and other photos myself, but I can still hardly force myself to look at them.” Anita Gerhardter was a long-standing friend of the Kinigadner family even back then: “I remember it very clearly. I initially pushed it all aside. What should not be, cannot be.” She gently runs her fingers over a photo of Hannes during rehab: “This one really hurts.” Heinz nods. “It is almost impossible to explain what goes on inside you in such a situation, as it is utterly inconceivable to anyone on the outside. It feels as if the world stops turning – a complete standstill. An incision right through life as you know it.”

Disappointingly, the attempt to find an immediate cure for Hannes ends abruptly. “There were no options back then. A clinical trial on humans, let alone any successful medication, was a long way off,” says Heinz Kinigadner. His friendship with Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz had been blossoming for years at this point. “It quickly became clear that the only way to bring about change was through a European foundation,” adds Jan Schwab, a neuroscientist who was based in Berlin at the time. “Right from the outset, it was impressive to witness the determination of Mr Mateschitz. He was fully committed to the cause, despite the fact that it would be a long and arduous journey.” Anita’s gaze comes to rest on a black-and-white photograph of Dietrich Mateschitz. “Nothing is impossible – that was his credo.”

He and Heinz Kinigadner launched the Wings for Life foundation in 2004. The objective: to promote spinal cord research and find a cure for spinal cord injuries. 20 years on, and progress is evident. “We have established a highly selective, multi-stage process. Experts share their assessments with us - to an international standard - and we fund exceptional projects that have the potential to improve functions in the medium term,” explains Anita Gerhardter. “We are by no means the proverbial slow-moving oil tanker, but rather operate like a speedboat. It does not take us ages to get moving – quite the opposite. We are capable of implementing necessary directional changes quickly, thereby providing very effective support.”

Anita Gerhardter is particularly keen to highlight the Wings for Life World Run as she reaches one of the countless photographs depicting participants running for a good cause. “The idea was pitched by a Red Bull event specialist, and I was hooked right away. This concept allows us to reach thousands of people at a single stroke, generate donations, and raise awareness. We are now the world’s largest running event,” she says with evident pride. “The Wings for Life World Run has become a beacon of hope for people suffering from spinal cord injuries.” Heinz Kinigadner, who participates every year, adds: “Everyone at the World Run understands what we are running for – the cause. It’s incredibly emotional and beautiful.”

The trio looks back on the last few years with pride and optimism. “Wings for Life has made an invaluable contribution to revitalising the field of spinal cord research. Considering how many scientists are working on this topic today, a great deal has changed and that inspires hope,” says Anita Gerhardter. She reaches for a photo of Hannes fitted with an exoskeleton*. “My greatest wish is to see Hannes – and all others affected – stand tall without an exoskeleton. I wish to see him walk again.” Heinz Kinigadner nods, visibly moved. “I remain 100% convinced that it won't take an eternity to happen.”

*An exoskeleton is a mechanical frame that acts as a support corset. Patients use it for therapeutic purposes.

2003: Hannes Kinigadner suffers a severe spinal cord injury as result of a fall.

2004: Heinz Kinigadner and Dietrich Mateschitz launch Wings for Life with the aim of making spinal cord injuries curable.

2005: Funding of the first eleven basic research projects and implementation of an independent peer review process.

2006: Formation of the ‘Scientific Advisory Board’, a committee of top international scientists that acts as a scientific advisory council.

2008: First scientific symposium in Salzburg at Hangar-7 attended by 33 specialists from all over the world.

2008: Zhigang He facilitates the regeneration of nerve fibres by blocking the “PTEN” enzyme, which was previously considered impossible to achieve within the central nervous system.

2009: Jan Schwab and colleagues describe the debilitating effects of spinal cord injuries on the immune system, which promote infections.

2011: The first controlled clinical trial in which human neural stem cells are transplanted into the injured spinal cord is launched in Switzerland under the leadership of Armin Curt.

2012: First joint Wings for Life & ISRT Summer School in London for the targeted promotion and training of young researchers.

2014: Launch of the first Wings for Life World Run; the worldwide attention leads to a record number of 253 research applications being submitted.

2016: Foundation of the Accelerated Translational Programme (ATP), lead by Armin Curt, to speed up the translation of results from basic research into clinical trials on patients.

2017: USD 7 million in funding for the “Nogo Trap” clinical trial to improve motor function – the largest funding award to date.

2018: Grégoire Courtine succeeds in significantly improving the walking function of three patients with incomplete chronic injuries using electrical stimulation; Jerry Silver restores breathing in chronic paraplegia in a model.

2021: Michael Kilgard advances vagus nerve stimulation to clinical testing; the aim is to improve hand function in high-level spinal cord injuries.

2022: Relaunch of the “SCI Trials Finder” as a platform for patients to enable a more effective conduct of clinical trials on an international level.

2023: Wings for Life funds the “NervGen” study with USD 3 million; the aim is to make the scar at the injury site more permeable for regenerating nerve fibres.

2024: 324 research projects in twenty countries funded to date; more than a quarter of a million people take part in the Wings for Life World Run for the first time.

More information on current projects is available on www.wingsforlife.com/research.