Posts Tagged ‘cethrin’

Advances Offer Hope for Spinal Cord Injury Patients

Posted on May 5th, 2008

Cell transplantation, physical therapy show promise in restoring function

There is no cure for a spinal cord injury, but much headway has been made in clinical research that could lead to one. Other therapies have helped to restore some function in spinal cord injured patients. A look at some efforts…

New Clinical Trials Could Open “Golden Era” In Spinal Cord Injury

Posted on November 7th, 2007

New experimental therapies are being — or soon may be — tested in clinical trials that could open the doors to a “golden era” for research to improve the treatments of people with spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, stroke, and other severe movement disorders, scientists say.

Drug Can Help Patients Heal From Spinal Cord Injuries

Posted on September 21st, 2007

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.

Doctors Try New Injection To Fight Paralysis

Posted on May 1st, 2007

There are currently no effective therapies for spinal cord injuries. But a protein injection may help some patients walk again.

Drug Shows Promise in Spinal Cord Injury Treatment

Posted on April 18th, 2007

A drug called Cethrin shows promise in treating people with spinal cord injury (SCI), according to a study by American and Canadian researchers.

Cethrin inhibits Rho, a signaling master switch that, when activated, triggers cell death and increases damage after SCI. Tests in animals with SCI have found that Cethrin inhibits cell death and promotes neural regeneration.