An Omaha biomedical startup and two partners have secured a $1.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense that will allow them to take the next step in testing a nanoparticle that has shown promise in preclinical testing in treating acute spinal cord injuries. The three-year grant will allow ProTransit Nanotherapy to make a final formulation of the nanoparticle, invented by company co-founder Vinod Labhasetwar, and to conduct further testing, said Gary Madsen, ProTransits other co-founder and chief executive officer. Labhasetwar, now a professor of biomedical engineering at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, is a former researcher at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. ProTransit occupies leased space on the UNMC campus. If successful, the results of those tests will be combined with initial studies to file an investigational new drug application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a critical first step toward a clinical trial in humans. Were very pleased to be able to move it into the next phase of development, said Madsen, former entrepreneur in residence at UNeMed Corp., UNMCs technology licensing arm. Madsen said grants such as the one from the Defense Department are important because its difficult for startups like ProTransit to obtain … Continue reading →

The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, a Center of Excellence at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, has published the findings of its first Food and Drug Administration-approved Phase I clinical trial involving the use of human nerve cells to repair a damaged spinal cord. The cells, known as Schwann cells, are essential for the repair of nerve damage, and have long been thought capable of promoting recovery after spinal cord injury. The trial, performed at University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital, is the first in a series designed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of transplanting autologous human Schwann cells to treat individuals with spinal cord injuries. An article detailing the findings, Safety of Autologous Human Schwann Cell Transplantation in Subacute Thoracic Spinal Cord Injury, was published in the February issue of the Journal of Neurotrauma, with Kim D. Anderson Ph.D., research associate professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery and The Miami Project, as lead author. The trial enrolled subjects with the least chance of natural recovery in order to first establish the safety of the cell transplant procedure; specifically, it targeted people with new SCI, less than 30 days after injury, having sustained a trauma-induced lesion … Continue reading →

A UCLA professor is working to develop a treatment for spinal cord injuries, which are currently incurable. Stephanie Seidlits, assistant professor of bioengineering, will attempt to use biomaterial made out of hyaluronic acid a long chain of sugars in the body to create a treatment that can be injected into spinal cords. Seidlits will conduct the research with students using a $500,000 grant she won March 1. The prestigious CAREER award, granted by the National Science Foundation, aims to support scholars who effectively integrate research with education. Seidlits plans to use her research as a project for students in Bioengineering 177: Bioengineering Capstone Design next fall. Alongside Seidlits, students will be able to investigate the effects of hyaluronic acid on spinal cord cell regeneration using an in vitro device. Using the device, researchers will be able to replicate the cell environment of an injured spinal cord and analyze how HA reacts to that environment. When the spinal cord is injured, HA, a polymer composed of long sugar chains that support tissue structure, breaks down into smaller fragments to initiate healing. The short fragments are supposed to be replaced by longer ones, but sometimes they stay in the spinal cord, causing … Continue reading →

UPDATE 12:31 p.m. EST Friday, March 10 Ryan Thomas, an accident victim in the three car collision, was just wheeled into surgery to repair his fractured sacrum. The surgery is expected to take a minimum of 7 hours. Due to being a diabetic and the area of trauma, he is at an increased risk of infection and blood clots. The family is asking for continued prayers. Five-year-old Skarlett is awake, and has fractures through her entire spine. She will be in a neck brace and back brace for six to eight weeks and rehab. Doctors say Peyton may be paralyzed from the neck down, but the family has seen movement in her arms. LANSE TOWNSHIP A three-vehicle accident Wednesday night in LAnse Township sent three people, including two children, to the hospital. #StoryUpdate Five-year-old Scarlet has spinal and intestinal injuries and is being airlifted to Ann Arbor Michigan for Posted by ABC10 & CW5 UP onThursday, March 9, 2017 The family has set up a GoFundMe page to provide updates and raise funds for medical expenses. For more from the family directly, visit gofundme.com/P-Skar. [Seven-year-old Peyton] started to move her arms! said the family in an update. This is great … Continue reading →