4 replies to this topic

[mcferguson]

The Restoration Puzzle

by S. Laurance Johnston, PhD, MBA

It may be difficult to pronounce, but neurorestoratology is an emerging subdiscipline that emphasizes regeneration or repair of the damaged nervous system. IANR's mission is to pull together the pieces of research from around the world.

Attended by scientists from around the globe, the third annual meeting of the International Association of Neurorestoratology (IANR) took place April 23–25 in Beijing, China. The conference's overall goal was to open-mindedly bring together divergent perspectives in an effort to accelerate the development of real-world therapies for a variety of neurological disorders, including spinal-cord injury (SCI), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), stroke, and Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's diseases.

Neurorestoratology is an emerging neuroscience subdiscipline that emphasizes regeneration or repair of the damaged nervous system. Its objective is the recovery of neural function lost due to trauma, neurodegenerative disorders/diseases, compromised blood flow, etc. Although many therapeutic strategies fall under the neurorestoratology umbrella, a key focal point has been stem-cell transplantation, a frequent topic in my Healing Options series for PN.

Believing that return of some life-enhancing function for many disorders once considered untreatable is now within our reach, IANR's mission is to speed up the bench-to-bedside transition of basic-science laboratory research into beneficial clinical therapies, in part by pulling together the divergent pieces of the puzzle emerging throughout the world.

Recognizing that SCI bows to no flag, IANR believes its goals can be achieved through fostering better communication between world scientists. Indeed, I thought one of the conference's greatest strengths was the opportunity to interact with scientists from Russia, China, etc., who often possess a different view on how to do things from many of my U.S. colleagues.

The driving force behind IANR's creation was China's Dr. Hongyun Huang, a pioneer in developing function-restoring, cell-transplantation procedures (PN, April 2004). Several senior scientists from throughout the world have assisted him in his IANR organizational efforts, including England's Dr. Geoffrey Raisman, whose animal research laid the foundation for Huang's procedures; Dr. Paul Sanberg, University of South Florida, one of America's foremost stem-cell experts; and Dr. Ziad Mohammed Al-Zoubi, president of the Pan Arab Spine Society and organizer of next year's conference in Jordan.

Read more in the August 2010 issue of PN.

[chrisarnold6]

Wonder if this is the same LAURANCE JOHNSTON who has also looked into alternative medicine for SCI?

[Tetracyclone]

Thanks for the post.

[FlyPelicanFly]

chrisarnold6, on 30 July 2010 - 11:02 AM, said:

Wonder if this is the same LAURANCE JOHNSTON who has also looked into alternative medicine for SCI?

Yes, same guy.

[Tinbasher]

Sounds like a made up ology