A trial helping paralysed patients walk has been thrown into chaos after a prominent brain research institute let the scientists leading it go, leaving volunteers confused and disappointed.

Researchers are now scrambling to find another institute to continue the study and two other clinical trials related to spinal injury research after the institute told them it was not renewing their contracts.

The multimillion-dollar eWalk2 trial, fully funded by taxpayers and charities, was being run in a specialist gym at Sydney-based NeuRA, which is in the midst of a chaotic restructuring .

“I am bitterly disappointed,” said Terry Lewis, who has been paralysed with a spinal cord injury since 2018 and worked to recruit others into the trial.

“We put a lot of time into helping the researchers, tr

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