EVANSTON, Ill., April 7 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they have created a nano-engineered gel that can enable severed spinal cord fibers to regenerate and grow.
Spinal
cord injuries often lead to permanent paralysis and loss of sensation
because the damaged nerve fibers can't regenerate, Northwestern
University scientists said. Although nerve fibers or axons have the
capacity to re-grow, they don't because they're blocked by scar tissue
that develops around the injury.
The nanogel developed at the
university's Feinberg School of Medicine inhibits formation of scar
tissue and enables the severed spinal cord fibers to regenerate and
grow, the scientists said.
The gel is injected as a liquid into
the spinal cord and self-assembles into a scaffold that supports new
nerve fibers. When the gel was injected into mice with a spinal cord
injury, after six weeks the animals had a greatly enhanced ability to
use their hind legs and walk.
"It's important to understand that
something that works in mice will not necessarily work in human
beings," said study leader Dr. John Kessler, who noted that if the gel
is eventually approved for humans, a clinical trial could begin within
several years.
The research is reported in the Journal of Neuroscience.
Copyright
2008
The Spinal Cord Injury Zone. All rights reserved.
All trademarks & copyrighted materials are the property of their respective owners
The Spinal Cord Injury Zone is 100% not-for-profit
Website Design by Michael A Feger Jr.
