Category: ‘Research for a Cure’


Neural Stem Cell Transplantation Shows Promise for Treating Chronic Spinal Cord Injury

Posted on December 17th, 2024

Neural Stem Cells
Neural stem cells, shown here, can be made to develop into the varied types of cells found in the nervous system. Photo credit: Welcome Collection/Wikimedia Commons

A Phase I clinical trial led by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine has demonstrated the long-term safety and feasibility of neural stem cell transplantation for treating chronic spinal cord injuries. These devastating injuries often result in partial or full paralysis and are currently incurable. The study, which followed four patients with chronic spinal cord injuries for five years, found that two patients showed durable evidence of neurological improvement after treatment with neural stem cell implantation, including increased motor and sensory scores, and improved electromyography (EMG) activity. Some patients also showed improvement in pain scores.

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Deep Brain Stimulation Helps Restore Walking After Spinal Cord Injury

Posted on December 3rd, 2024

The discovery that an unexpected brain region is crucial for walking recovery in mice with spinal cord injuries has led a deep brain stimulation therapy in humans. The approach restored enough leg control in two individuals with partial spinal injuries to walk unaided and even climb stairs.

Researchers at EPFL and Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), led by professors Grégoire Courtine and Jocelyne Bloch, have achieved a major milestone in the treatment of spinal cord injuries (SCI). By applying deep brain stimulation (DBS) to an unexpected region in the brain—the lateral hypothalamus (LH)—the team has improved the recovery of lower limb movements in two individuals with partial SCI, greatly improving their autonomy and well-being.

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World-First Clinical Trial for Treating Spinal Cord Injury

Posted on October 21st, 2024

Since the passing of Professor Emeritus Alan Mackay-Sim AM in 2023, his ground-breaking legacy research is about to be realized with a Phase I human clinical trial commencing to test the efficacy and safety of the transplantation of olfactory cell nerve bridges to treat chronic spinal cord injury.

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Researchers Develop New Implant to Power Healing After Spinal Cord Injury

Posted on August 28th, 2024

A research team at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences has developed a new implant that conveys electrical signals and may have the potential to encourage nerve cell (neuron) repair after spinal cord injury.

Electrostimulation via electroconductive scaffold drives neurite outgrowth
Graphical abstract. Credit: Materials Today (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.mattod.2024.07.015

Details of the implant and how it performs in lab experiments have just been Opens in new windowpublished in the journal Materials Today.

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Discovery Holds Promise to Restore Function in People with Paralysis and Neurological Diseases

Posted on June 22nd, 2024

New research reveals a healing immune cell that has the potential to stimulate nerve fiber regrowth in mice and humans

In a new study, neuroscience researchers at The Ohio State University have discovered a special type of human white blood cell that has the potential to regrow nerve fibers.

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