Ryan Holsheimer, Perry Cross AM, Professor James St. John
In 1994, a rugby tackle left 19-year-old Perry Cross paralysed from the neck down and dependent on a ventilator to breathe. Three decades on, the foundation he built is funding a world-first clinical trial at Griffith University that aims to do what medicine has long said cannot be done: repair the injured spinal cord. In this closing conversation, Perry is joined by the scientist leading that trial, Professor James St. John, and by Ryan Holsheimer, the global markets leader turned venture capitalist who has served on the Foundation's board for over a decade. Together they show what becomes possible when lived experience, breakthrough science and committed private capital align on a single mission and leave the Summit with a question every family can carry home: what would you attempt if you believed everything is possible?
Professor James St John is a leading Australian translational neuroscientist and Head of the Clem Jones Centre for Neurobiology and Stem Cell Research within Griffith University’s Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics. His research is focused on developing therapies that repair damage to the nervous system, with particular emphasis on spinal cord injury, peripheral nerve injury, traumatic brain injury, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Since commencement of the Clem Jones Centre in 2016, Professor St John has led more than $50 million in research projects supported by philanthropic organisations, government agencies, and competitive national funding schemes. Critically, over one-third of this funding has come from philanthropy and has played a crucial role in delivering the underpinning research which has subsequently been supported by large government funding.
Through philanthropy and community engagement, his team has developed a pioneering cell transplantation therapy that combines specialised cells with bioengineered nerve bridges to promote repair of chronic spinal cord injuries. This
groundbreaking work has progressed from original concept to a world-first clinical trial in Queensland in just over nine years, demonstrating how philanthropy and community involvement can accelerate biomedical discovery and translation.
A passionate advocate for research translation and community engagement, Professor St John works closely with clinicians, patients and their families, industry partners, and philanthropic supporters to accelerate the journey from laboratory discovery to real-world impact.
Professor St John has received two national awards recognising his transformative research and community engagement, the National Health and Medical Research Council’s Marshall and Warren Innovation Award 2019 and the Consumer Involvement Award 2025.
