PARALYSED pet dogs can walk again thanks to a study that gives hope to human patients. Scientists restored movement to the canines' hind legs by fixing breaks in their spinal cords using cells taken from their noses. The olfactory ensheathing cells support nerve fibre growth that maintains a communication pathway between the nose and the brain. Previous research suggests they can help form a bridge between damaged and undamaged spinal cord tissue by regenerating nerve fibre. Formerly crippled dachshund Jasper was whizzing around the house again after the treatment, his delighted owner revealed. He was one of 34 dogs with spinal cord injuries as the result of accidents and back problems. The randomised controlled trial is the first to demonstrate effective spinal cord repair in real life injury cases. NEW treatment sees cells taken from a pet's nose injected into injured part of back to regenerate spine damage Although the treatment had been shown to be safe in human patients, its effectiveness was unknown. Professor Robin Franklin, one of the study leaders from Cambridge University, described the findings as extremely exciting. Read more from the original source: Walkies! Paralysed pet dogs can walk again … Continue reading →

A British study of pet dogs with severe spinal injuries suffered in accidents offers new hope for paralysed human patients. Scientists restored movement to the dogs' hind legs by bridging breaks in the spinal cord using cells taken from their noses. One previously crippled dachshund was described by its owner 'whizzing around the house' after undergoing the treatment. The randomised controlled trial is the first to demonstrate effective spinal cord repair in 'real life' injury cases. 'Our findings are extremely exciting because they show for the first time that transplanting these types of cell into a severely damaged spinal cord can bring about significant improvement,' said Professor Robin Franklin, one of the study leaders from Cambridge University. For more than a decade, experts have known that olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) might prove useful in treating damaged spinal cords. The cells support nerve fibre growth that maintains a communication pathway between the nose and the brain. Previous research suggests that OECs can help form a bridge between damaged and undamaged spinal cord tissue by regenerating nerve fibres. Although the treatment had been shown to be safe in human patients, its effectiveness was unknown. In the new trial, scientists studied 34 pet … Continue reading →

A British study of pet dogs with severe spinal injuries suffered in accidents offers new hope for paralysed human patients. Scientists restored movement to the dogs' hind legs by bridging breaks in the spinal cord using cells taken from their noses. One previously crippled dachshund was described by its owner 'whizzing around the house' after undergoing the treatment. The randomised controlled trial is the first to demonstrate effective spinal cord repair in 'real life' injury cases. 'Our findings are extremely exciting because they show for the first time that transplanting these types of cell into a severely damaged spinal cord can bring about significant improvement,' said Professor Robin Franklin, one of the study leaders from Cambridge University. For more than a decade, experts have known that olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) might prove useful in treating damaged spinal cords. The cells support nerve fibre growth that maintains a communication pathway between the nose and the brain. Previous research suggests that OECs can help form a bridge between damaged and undamaged spinal cord tissue by regenerating nerve fibres. Although the treatment had been shown to be safe in human patients, its effectiveness was unknown. In the new trial, scientists studied 34 pet … Continue reading →

Scientists have helped dogs to walk again after severe spinal injuries - offering hope for paralysed human patients. Movement was restored to the dogs' hind legs by bridging breaks in the spinal cord using olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) taken from their noses. The cells support nerve fibre growth that maintains a communication pathway between the nose and the brain. One previously crippled dachshund, Jasper, was described by its owner as "whizzing around the house" after undergoing the treatment. May Hay, from Cambridge, said: "Before the trial, Jasper was unable to walk at all. When we took him out we used a sling for his back legs so that he could exercise the front ones. It was heartbreaking." The random controlled trial is the first to demonstrate effective spinal cord repair in "real life" injury cases. Professor Robin Franklin, one of the study leaders from Cambridge University , said: "Our findings are extremely exciting because they show for the first time that transplanting these types of cell into a severely damaged spinal cord can bring about significant improvement." In the trial, scientists studied 34 pet dogs that had all suffered spinal cord injuries as a result of accidents and back problems. … Continue reading →

There are hopes that a breakthrough in the repair of damaged spinal cords in dogs may pave the way for similar operations for humans. UK researchers have managed to repair severe spinal cord injuries in dogs by injecting their spines with cells taken from the lining of their noses. The cells helped repair the parts of the nerve cells that transmit signals, meaning the canine patients can move their once paralysed limbs. Jasper the daschund had a severe spinal cord injury that paralysed his back legs. Now he can keep up with the treadmill on all fours and owner Peter Hay is thrilled. "Before the event he was effectively a crippled dog - he had no rear leg function, he dragged his feet around and generally couldn't get up on them - he couldn't move them," he said. "But now he can stand, he can get two feet, he can walk." Jasper is one of 23 pet dogs with severe spinal cord injuries who were injected with cells taken from their noses - olfactory ensheathing cells - which usually work to maintain and repair the pathway between the brain and the nose. It is part of the first randomised controlled … Continue reading →

November 19, 2012 [ Watch the Video: Dog Has Spinal Cord Regeneration ] Michael Harper for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online More than just Mans Best Friend, dogs also have incredible little wet noses. Its widely believed that a dogs sense of smell is 1,000 times better than a humans, thanks to hundreds of millions of olfactory receptors. While the smelling sense of a dog has been widely reported and is very well known, the canine nose may be even more powerful than we once thought, even capable of reversing paralysis. Professors from the Cambridge University have now been able to take cells from a dogs nose and use them to repair a dogs broken spinal cord. One such dog is named Jasper, a dachshund who has been unable to walk since 2008 after he suffered a severe spinal cord injury. While studies have been conducted before to use the snout cells to regenerate a spinal cord, Jasper is one of the first animals outside of a laboratory to receive this treatment. The Cambridge University team extracted the olfactory ensheathing cells from the lining of Jaspers nose, then gave them a few weeks to grow and expand in a lab. The … Continue reading →

Editor's Choice Main Category: Neurology / Neuroscience Also Included In: Veterinary Article Date: 20 Nov 2012 - 0:00 PST Current ratings for: Limb Movement Restoration In Dogs With Spinal Cord Injuries Offers Hope For Humans For many years, scientists have been aware that olfactory ensheathing cells (OEC) could be helpful in treating the damaged spinal cord because of their distinctive properties. The unique cells have the capacity to support nerve fiber growth that preserves a pathway between the nose and the brain. Earlier studies consisting of laboratory animals have shown that OECs can be helpful in regeneration of the parts of nerve cells that pass on signals (axons). OECs were used as a bridge linking damaged and undamaged tissues in the spinal cord. A Phase 1 trial in humans with spinal cord injuries has determined that the procedure is safe. The current study, published in the journal Brain, is the first double-blinded, randomized, controlled study to examine the effectiveness of these transplants to increase function in spinal cord injuries. The trial used animals with spontaneous and accidental spinal cord injuries. This method resembled closely the way the procedure could potentially work for human patients. The study included 34 dogs that … Continue reading →