The spinal cord, one of the most important parts of our central nervous system, is located in the spine and provides the connection between the brain and the arms, trunk and legs. The spinal cord, which is composed of nerve tissue that brings and carries orders from the brain to these regions, can cause paralysis if it receives any blow. The number of patients who have become paralyzed as a result of spinal cord injury is quite high in the world and the probability of these people being able to walk again is very low.
A research team at Northwestern University has developed a new treatment modality to reverse paralysis and minimize spinal cord injuries. Experiments on paralyzed mice used a single-injection treatment of tissue surrounding the spinal cord of the mice, and after a few weeks it appeared that the animal regained the ability to walk.
A single injection made the paralyzed mouse move
In this search for a new treatment for spinal injuries, researchers used ultra-bright X-rays to examine the structure of engineered molecules and how they behave together in a solution. If this study works similarly in humans, individuals with serious spinal cord injuries may once again have a chance to walk.
Knowing the structure of the molecular matrix allowed the researchers to tune the movement of molecules. By “dancing” the molecules, they were more likely to find and interact with cellular receptors, triggering cells to repair damaged neurons. Four weeks after a single injection treatment of a paralyzed mouse, it was observed that the mouse regained the ability to move its legs and was able to drag its hind legs.
Stating that they want to make a difference on the results of spinal cord injury and solve this problem considering the enormous impact it can have on the lives of patients, the team thinks that this study can be effective in studies for spinal cord paralysis.
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