9276
0
Posted on Oct 23, 2002, 7 a.m.
By Bill Freeman
Results of a recent study in rats suggests that people with spinal cord injuries may benefit from a treatment where nerves from the ribs are removed, treated with growth factors, and then re-implanted into damaged areas of the spinal cord. Dr Vernon Lin of the University of California at Irvine and his colleagues treated the tiny nerves with a growth stimulator called aFGF.
Results of a recent study in rats suggests that people with spinal cord injuries may benefit from a treatment where nerves from the ribs are removed, treated with growth factors, and then re-implanted into damaged areas of the spinal cord. Dr Vernon Lin of the University of California at Irvine and his colleagues treated the tiny nerves with a growth stimulator called aFGF. The technique was successful to the degree that it partially restored hind limb movement in rats whose spinal cords had been severed. The rats' movement skills were determined using a test called the BBB score, where normal movement scores 21. Six months after the rats were treated, the animals that received the treatment had scores between six and seven, whereas untreated control animals did not score higher than one.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Reported by www.eurekalert.org on the 5th October 2002
