By using gene therapy, a German research team forced nerve cells to produce a curative protein. Mice that had complete injury could walk again after two to three weeks.
The United States Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) announced that it is supporting an international consortium with a staggering budget of 36.5 million USD. This budget will be committed at improving recovery after spinal cord injuries using innovative, implantable technologies.
The usage of stem cells holds a huge potential for promoting recovery after a spinal cord injury. Numerous experiments showed that the transplantation of neural stem cells can improve recovery. Scientists could see that both damaged and brought in cells are extending new axons but couldn’t tell if they made functional connections.
A new drug that also repairs damage to the spinal cord has been created by scientists. Although still at an early stage, it holds the potential to improve the conditions in neurological diseases.
A new study shows an “out-of-the-box” way to promote regrowth of damaged nerve fibers. By using magnetic nanoparticles scientists aim to stretch the axon from the outside.
The U.S. FDA sets an administrative milestone for the Go-2 Targeted Epidural Spinal Stimulation system. A clinical trial to test this new implantable device should therefore start next year.
