A team of Israeli scientists have developed a vaccine that limits the spread of damage that occurs following spinal cord injury and thus, helps to reduce the risk of paralysis. Scientists from the Weizmann Institute of Science report that the vaccine, which is highly effective for the treatment of partial cord injuries, enabled rats that had suffered severe spinal cord injuries to walk again. However, the vaccine does not work in cases were the spinal cord has been severed completely. In the weeks following spinal trauma a cascade of events destroys neurons and nerve fibers surrounding the injury site, the vaccine works by boosting the body’s immune response in order to contain the damage to its original site and thus reduce the risk of total paralysis. The team say that in order for the vaccine to be effective it needs to be administered within a week of the initial injury, they also believe that it may be useful in the treatment of other central nervous system injuries, such as stroke or brain injuries.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Reported by www.reutershealth.com on the 17th August 2001
