Palmer researcher awarded one of two 2014 grants from Australian Spinal Research Foundation

May 29, 2015 — Liang Zhang, PhD, a faculty member of the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research working at Palmer’s Port Orange, Florida, campus, has received a research grant from the Australian Spinal Research Foundation, Springwood, Queensland. The grant is one of just two awarded by the Foundation during its 2014 round.

Zhang’s research project is titled “Epigenetic regulation of neuronal differentiation by HVLA and LVVA forces.”

The overarching goal of chiropractic care is to correct structural alignment in order to reduce pain and allow the body to heal naturally, improving function, health, and quality of life. This healing occurs due to changes at the most basic cellular and molecular levels.

“This study will test a novel hypothesis on understanding the long-term benefits of spinal manipulation,” Zhang said. “It examines the cell’s response to variations in mechanical force, such as the force used by doctors of chiropractic in spinal manipulation. Cell cultures, consisting of millions of a single cell type, will be treated with mechanical forces of varying strength and speed, to compare how the cells respond.”

Although conducted at the cellular level, this study will provide valuable information for chiropractic science, potentially providing a basis for future clinical research projects. “I am very grateful to the Australian Spinal Research Foundation for seeing the value in this project and funding this important basic science research,” Zhang said.

The Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research, headquartered on the Palmer College of Chiropractic campus in Davenport, Iowa, is the largest institutional chiropractic research effort in the world, promoting excellence and leadership in scientific research.

The PCCR has the largest budget for research in a chiropractic college, and has received funding from the National Institutes of Health, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, and the U.S. Department of Defense. Since 2000, these awards have totaled more than $35 million.

Source: Palmer College of Chiropractic