According to the Spinal Cord Injury Information Network, there are
about 11,000 new spinal cord injuries each year. Car accidents have
been responsible for nearly 50 percent of spinal cord injuries since
2000, and falls have been the second most common cause of spinal cord
injuries. Currently, about 253,000 Americans are living with a spinal
cord injury.
Dr. Michael Fehlings from Toronto Western Hospital is
studying a new drug to treat spinal cord injuries soon after they
happen. The drug, called Cethrin, is applied during surgery to the
injury site in a fibrin glue type of material. Cethrin is a recombinant
protein that is made through artificial DNA technology. The protein
inhibits Rho, a key pathway that triggers cell death and increases
damage after a spinal cord injury.
"You apply [Cethrin] directly to the damaged spinal
cord and then the medication penetrates the damaged spinal cord,"
Fehlings said.
Cethrin is still under study, but early results look
promising. Results from a one-year study of the drug in 37 patients
were presented in April, 2007 at the annual meeting of the American
Association of Neurological Surgeons in Washington, D.C. All patients
in the study had "A" grade injuries, which are the most serious.
Injuries are graded from A to E, with A being the most serious and E
being the least serious.
Patients received Cethrin an average of 53 hours after
their injury occurred. After six months, 28 percent of patients
improved by one or more grades. Five patients improved to a "C" grade,
and two improved to a "D" grade.Typically, there is some recovery that
occurs after an injury, but the rates of recovery are quite low, in the
range of 5 percent to 10 percent.
"In this trial, fully a third of patients showed
significant recovery, and almost 20 percent of the patients showed a
major degree of recovery. In my own clinical experience, this type of
recovery is very unusual," Fehlings said.
Fehlings says the drug is not a cure for spinal cord injuries, but it could have a major impact on patients' lives.
"They might be able to now grip a jar or to drink, or
they might be able to transfer themselves, whereas before they might
not have had trunk control. In some patients, it might even mean that
they could recover the ability to walk," he said.
At least five institutions in the United States and three in Canada are studying Cethrin's role in spinal cord injuries.
By: Ivanhoe Broadcast News
