Regeneration achieved in chronic lesions

A publication resulting from a direct Wings for Life funding was published this month in the journal Neuron. This unprecedented finding is proving that a combinatorial treatment can successfully promote the regeneration of neurons that were damaged as a result of a spinal cord injury that occurred 15 months earlier. The regeneration achieved in those so-called chronic lesions was not observed when only part of the combinatorial treatment was delivered.

The two conclusions of this exciting work are that this particular combinatorial treatment (grafts of marrow stromal cells, and establishment of NT-3 gradients) is successful in promoting neuronal regeneration and that this regeneration can be achieved even when the spinal cord injury is in a “chronic” state (15 months after injury).

For more information on the project of Dr. Blesch please visit the following section (projects_detail.php?id=38&year=4).

Original paper: