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News and Announcements
Rutgers Researchers Use AI to Treat Paralysis
Posted on April 28th, 2022 by admin
Researchers at Rutgers University working on U.S. National Science Foundation grants have stabilized Chondroitinase ABC, an enzyme that can reverse and regenerate tissue damage from spinal cord injuries. Using artificial intelligence and robotics, the team formulated therapeutic proteins that help repair damaged spinal cord tissue. Read more
Enhanced Epidural Stimulation Helps Patients Walk in 24 Hours
Posted on February 28th, 2022 by admin
There has been a lot of talk about epidural simulation since it was first used on a man with a spinal cord injury in 2009. Fast-forward 13 years later, the STIMO trial in Switzerland has recently concluded, and thanks to a new method of epidural stimulation that was used (they stimulated a larger area), all three participants were able to walk or stand within 24 hours of the surgery. While this treatment is not yet ready for everyday use, it shows real hope is on the horizon. Read more
$24 Million to go to Soft Gel Research
Posted on January 27th, 2022 by admin
Mend the Gap, a research project at the University of British Columbia, just received $24 million from Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund 2020 Transformation to see if biomaterials (specifically soft gels) can help cure paralysis. Read more
Scientists at Northwestern University Help Severely Injured Mice Walk Again Using “Dancing Molecules”
Posted on November 18th, 2021 by admin
Dr. Samuel Stupp his team at Northwestern University in Chicago have made a true breakthrough in spinal cord injury research. They were able to cure severely injured mice using an an injection of synthesized peptides below the level of injury. These peptides forms into a gel onto the spinal cord creating a network of mesh fibers that carry signals, aka “dancing molecules,” to the neurons to begin regeneration. They hope to begin human trials next year by getting advanced FDA approval. Read more
Drug Helps Sensory Neurons Regrow in Mouse Central Nervous System
Posted on October 19th, 2021 by admin
Researchers have identified a drug that helps sensory neurons in the central nervous system heal. They gave mice a drug called fenofibrate that’s approved by the FDA to treat high cholesterol. It activated the support cells surrounding sensory neurons and helped them regrow about twice as fast as normal. No human studies are as of yet planned. Read more
New 3D Bioprinting Research Shows Potential
Posted on September 1st, 2021 by admin
Although the research was conducted on rats and not humans (they say humans will be next, and soon), a new method of 3D bioprinting neural tissues developed in China has shown exciting potential. “In a new study, published in the journal Biomaterials, the team outlines how the bio-ink can be 3D-printed into scaffolds that encourage interactions between cells, which is vital to reversing the paralysis caused by SCIs.” Read more
Acute Injuries May Fare Better If Given Gabapentin Right Away
Posted on June 1st, 2021 by admin
Researchers at Ohio State University have recently discovered that the widely prescribed pain relief drug Gabapentin may help people with acute spinal cord injuries have less severe autonomic dysreflexia down the road. The key is making sure they are given the drug right away. Learn more
Yale University Uses Mouse’s Own Stem Cells to Cure Paralysis
Posted on March 17th, 2021 by admin
Researchers at Yale have recently expressed sincere excitement over the results they have seen from a working with Japanese researchers to help people with spinal cord injuries regain function. After injecting paralyzed mice with their own stem cells, some regained mobility. Read a breakdown of this research from Sam Maddox here
Gene Therapy Heals Paralyzed Monkeys
Posted on January 7th, 2021 by admin
Gene therapy is looking more and more to be a promising area of research for spinal cord injuries. In China, researchers were able to regenerate functional new neurons in the spinal cords of paralyzed monkeys, even in those with glial scars on their spinal cord, using gene therapy. Read more
Importance of Glial Cells Further Uncovered
Posted on November 9th, 2020 by admin
New spinal cord injury research conducted at Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania has discovered that glial cells, which can help regrow neurons after a spinal cord injury, can be turned on and off via a metabolic switch. Read more
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