Category Archives: Spinal Cord Injury Treatment

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 20-Oct-2014 Contact: Robert Miranda cogcomm@aol.com Cell Transplantation Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair The study will be published in a future issue of Cell Transplantation and is currently freely available on-line as an unedited early e-pub at: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/pre-prints/content-CT-1239_Tabakow_et_al. The American Spinal Injury Association's (ASIA) international classification of spinal cord injury is widely used to document and classify sensory and motor impairments following SCI. Stages of impairment are based on neurological responses, touch and pinprick sensations, and the strength of the muscles that control ten key motions on both sides of the body. Traumatic spinal cord injury is classified into five categories on the ASIA Impairment Scale. "A" indicates a "complete" spinal cord injury where no motor or sensory function is preserved in the sacral segments S4-S5. "C" indicates an "incomplete" spinal cord injury where motor function is preserved below the neurological level and fewer than half of the key muscles below the neurological level have a muscle grade of 3 or more. "After OEC transplantation and the building of the nerve bridge, this patient improved from ASIA A to ASIA C," said Dr. Pawel Tabakow of the Department of Neurosurgery at the Wroclaw Medical University … Continue reading →

They used a nerve bridge constructed between the two stumps of the damage spinal column. A Bulgarian man who was paralyzed from the chest down in a knife attack can now walk with the aid of a frame after receiving pioneering transplant treatment using cells from his nose. The technique, described as a breakthrough by a study in the journal Cell Transplantation, involved transplanting what are known as olfactory ensheathing cells into the patients spinal cord and constructing a nerve bridge between two stumps of the damaged spinal column. We believe this procedure is the breakthrough which, as it is further developed, will result in a historic change in the currently hopeless outlook for people disabled by spinal cord injury, said Geoffrey Raisman, a professor at University College Londons (UCL) institute of neurology, who led the research. The 38-year-old patient, Darek Fidyka, was paralyzed after suffering stab wounds to his back in 2010. Following 19 months of treatment, he has recovered some voluntary movement and some sensation in his legs, his medics said. The Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation, a British-based charity which part-funded the research, said in statement that Fidyka was continuing to improve more than predicted, and was now … Continue reading →

LONDON, THE UK - A Bulgarian man who was paralysed from the chest down in a knife attack can now walk with the aid of a frame after receiving pioneering transplant treatment using cells from his nose. The technique, described as a breakthrough by a study in the journal Cell Transplantation, involved transplanting what are known as olfactory ensheathing cells into the patient's spinal cord and constructing a "nerve bridge" between two stumps of the damaged spinal column. "We believe... this procedure is the breakthrough which, as it is further developed, will result in a historic change in the currently hopeless outlook for people disabled by spinal cord injury," said Geoffrey Raisman, a professor at University College London's (UCL) institute of neurology, who led the research. The 38-year-old patient, Darek Fidyka, was paralysed after suffering stab wounds to his back in 2010. Following 19 months of treatment, he has recovered some voluntary movement and some sensation in his legs, his medics said. The Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation, a British-based charity which part-funded the research, said in statement that Fidyka was continuing to improve more than predicted, and was now able to drive and live more independently. Read more: Nose cell … Continue reading →

Darek Fidyka is the first person in the world to recover from chronic injuries Fireman was paralysed from the waist down after severing spinal chord The Bulgarian received treatment pioneered by University College London Cells taken from his nose injected to spine and regrew to repair broken link By Ben Spencer, Science Reporter for the Daily Mail Published: 19:07 EST, 20 October 2014 | Updated: 19:58 EST, 20 October 2014 A fireman paralysed from the waist down after his spinal cord was completely severed has regained the ability to walk thanks to British scientists. Darek Fidyka, 40, is believed to be the first person in the world to recover from such chronic injuries, in an achievement hailed as more impressive than putting a man on the Moon. Mr Fidykas spinal cord was sliced in half during a stabbing four years ago, leaving him paralysed below the waist. Darek Fidyka has been able to walk again after receiving pioneering treatment which has repaired his severed spine Amazingly, he has now been able to resume an independent life walking with a frame and even driving a car thanks to a revolutionary technique pioneered at University College London. Mr Fidyka, from Bulgaria, suffered … Continue reading →

Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition with few treatment options. Studies show that damage to the barrier separating blood from the spinal cord can contribute to the neurologic deficits that arise secondary to the initial trauma. Through a series of sophisticated experiments, researchers reporting in The American Journal of Pathology suggest that matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) plays a pivotal role in disruption of the brain/spinal cord barrier (BSCB), cell death, and functional deficits after SCI. This link also presents new therapeutic possibilities. "Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are enzymes known to degrade the extracellular matrix and other extracellular proteins and are essential for remodeling of the extracellular matrix and wound healing. Excessive proteolytic activity of MMPs can be detrimental, leading to numerous pathological conditions, including blood brain barrier (BBB)/BSCB disruption after injury," explains Tae Young Yune, PhD, of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea. Although other MMPs have been linked to SCI (i.e. MMP-2, MMP-9, and MMP-12), there has been no previous direct evidence of a similar role for MMP-3. By comparing mice that underwent spinal cord injury to a control group, investigators found that both MMP3 messenger RNA (mRNA) and … Continue reading →

There's a new treatment that could help millions of American's living with spinal cord injuries. It's called epidural stimulation. Dustin Shilcox talks how about the treatment has helped him. Shillcox was injured on August 26, 2010, when he was 26 years old. Dustin was drivinga van in nearby Rock Springs when a tire blew out and sent his van into a cable that lined the median. The van flipped and he was flung from the driver's side window. Dustin broke his back, sternum, elbow, four ribs and his lungs collapsed; he had bleeding to the brain and injured his spine at T5, which left him paralyzed from the chest down. Dustin was implanted in January 2013 and has since resumed an active outdoor lifestyle with his family, including snow machining. The Big Idea is the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation's campaign to raise $15 million to fund the next phase of epidural stimulation research and bring a potentially life-changing therapy to individuals living with spinal cord injury (SCI). Visit http://www.ReeveBigIdea.org for campaign details, videos and more information. Epidural stimulation is the first promising therapy to demonstrate that a damaged spinal cord may be repaired. Presently, there are no other effective … Continue reading →

Interview: Christopher Reeve's Son Talks Advancements In Spinal Cord Injury Treatment It has been 10 years since the death of actor Christopher Reeve. Since his spinal cord injury, the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation has worked tirelessly to make advancements in the way... By: CBS New York … Continue reading →

This past Friday marked 10 years since the death of acting great Christopher Reeve. The "Superman" icon, who died in 2004 at the age of 52, was not only a film legend but a force in the world of spinal cord injury treatment, having suffered an injury himself in 1995. That injury left him confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Matthew Reeve, the actor's son and champion for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, came out to Comic Con in New York over the weekend to reminisce about his late father and reveal "The Big Idea" campaign, which has introduced a device that has dramatically changed the lives of four injured individuals through epidural stimulation. The device has helped these men "to recover voluntary movements" with their legs and even stand, according to the organization's website. Reeve - flanked by four wheelchair-bound men, all wearing Superman shirts - addressed the audience at Comic Con on Saturday, by sharing what his famous father was like in everyday life. "I absolutely understand how everyone sees him as Superman," Reeve said. "To me he was dad and he was just awesome. He could fly an airplane, he could sail … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 13-Oct-2014 Contact: Robert Miranda cogcomm@aol.com Cell Transplantation Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair Putnam Valley, NY. (Oct. 13, 2014) Two studies recently published in Cell Transplantation reveal that cell transplantation may be an effective treatment for spinal cord injury (SCI), a major cause of disability and paralysis with no current restorative therapies. Using laboratory rats modeled with SCI, researchers in Spain found in laboratory tests on cells harvested from rats - specifically ependymal progenitor cells (epSPCs), multipotent stem cells found in adult tissues surrounding the ependymal canal of the spinal cord - responded to a variety of compounds through the activation of purinergic receptors P2X4, P2X7, P2Y1 and P2Y4. In addition, the epSPCs responded to adenosine triphosphate (ATP) through this activation. ATP, a chemical produced by a wide variety of enzymes that works to transport energy within cells, is known to accumulate at the sites of spinal cord injury and cooperate with growth factors that induce remodeling and repair. "The aim of our study was to analyze the expression profile of receptors in ependymal-derived neurospheres and to determine which receptors were functional by analysis of intercellular Ca2+ concentration," said study co-author Dr. Rosa Gomez-Villafuertes of … Continue reading →

Christopher Reeve's oldest son Matthew exclusively shared a look at "a video showing the amazing progress made by four young men paralyzed by spinal cord injuries" with People. Christopher died a decade ago, but Matthew wishes his father was alive to see the "huge breakthrough" in the treatment. He told the magazine, "It's hard not to think, 'What if he was here and what if he was present for this breakthrough?'" Excited at the progress, he explains the amazing transformation for the men. Originally told they would never be able to move below their neck or chest, hard work and groundbreaking research through epidural stimulation allows the men to stand and move hips, legs, and toes. "There's a comfort in the fact that we wouldn't be where we are had it not been for his tireless advocacy." Christopher made a splash as Superman and became one of the most recognizable faces in the role--in part from handsome features and soft, kind eyes. When the actor was paralyzed in a 1995 horseback riding incident, he spent the last 9 years of his life lobbying and searching for a cure. Not only for himself, but everyone in the same position. He never … Continue reading →