Spinal Cord Injury News
A collection of posts on news, information and resources for those with spinal cord injuries.
Cell Reprogramming Could Aid Spinal Cord Injury Recovery
Cells called astrocytes normally support our neurons, and now scientists are working to reprogram the star-shaped cells into neurons that help reconnect the brain and body after a spinal cord injury.
“We are at the stage of optimization. We know this reprogramming is feasible and we can do it,” says Dr. Hedong Li, molecular neuroscientist in the Department of Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia.
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Posted in Research for a Cure on May 13th, 2021.
Putting a Protein into Overdrive to Heal Spinal Cord Injuries
Scar-forming cells that overproduce the protein SOX2 made new neurons, improving recovery in mice
Using genetic engineering, researchers at UT Southwestern and Indiana University have reprogrammed scar-forming cells in mouse spinal cords to create new nerve cells, spurring recovery after spinal cord injury. The findings, published online today in Cell Stem Cell, could offer hope for the hundreds of thousands of people worldwide who suffer a spinal cord injury each year.
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Posted in Research for a Cure on March 6th, 2021.
Yale Scientists Repair Injured Spinal Cord Using Patients’ Own Stem Cells
Intravenous injection of bone marrow derived stem cells (MSCs) in patients with spinal cord injuries led to significant improvement in motor functions, researchers from Yale University and Japan report Feb. 18 in the Journal of Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery.
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Posted in Research for a Cure on February 22nd, 2021.
Designer Cytokine Makes Paralyzed Mice Walk Again
Using gene therapy, a research team has succeeded for the first time in getting mice to walk again after a complete cross-sectional injury. The nerve cells produced the curative protein themselves.
To date, paralysis resulting from spinal cord damage has been irreparable. With a new therapeutic approach, scientists from the Department for Cell Physiology at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) headed by Professor Dietmar Fischer have succeeded for the first time in getting paralyzed mice to walk again. The keys to this are the protein hyper-interleukin-6, which stimulates nerve cells to regenerate, and the way how it is supplied to the animals. The researchers published their report in the Journal Nature Communications from15 January 2021.
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Posted in Research for a Cure on January 16th, 2021.
New Treatment Allows Some People with Spinal Cord Injury to Regain Hand and Arm Function
Almost 18,000 Americans experience traumatic spinal cord injuries every year. Many of these people are unable to use their hands and arms and can’t do everyday tasks such as eating, grooming or drinking water without help.
Posted in Research for a Cure, Therapies and Procedures on January 12th, 2021.