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[nomis]

Well, they're not yet actually about to fix SCI but it's an indicator for future promising research.

This research takes the angle of minimising the ongoing damage that often immediately follows a traumatic injury to the cord. It's a simple approach well explained in this article. My understanding is it could be targetted at newly injured people.


Drug offers hope for spinal cord patients
By Martin Johnston
NZherald, Monday Aug 15, 2011

New Zealand scientists have taken big strides towards producing a drug treatment for spinal cord injuries - an exciting development for anyone confined to a wheelchair by back or neck injuries.

The Auckland University neuroscientists have previously proven in the laboratory that the drug, a lab-produced protein, can halt harmful communication between nerve cells following injury.

Now, in a paper submitted for publication, they report that the drug has shown in an animal study that it may be beneficial.

"There was a reduction in inflammation, a reduction in swelling and improved behavioural outcomes," said Professor Louise Nicholson, from the university's department of anatomy with radiology.

"This is a very exciting breakthrough as currently no reliable treatment exists for acute spinal cord injury. If we can prevent the spread of damage early, people who suffer an injury may not have the same degree of disability and if we can act early enough, there may possibly be no disability at all."

Professor Nicholson and her colleagues have shown that one of the critical changes after spinal cord injury is an increase in the number of chemical communication channels - called "gap junctions" - between nerve cells.

The gap junctions play an important role in spreading damage from an injury site to other areas.

The researchers found that higher concentrations of the protein, called mimetic peptide 5, prevented cells from opening communication channels and disconnected existing gap junctions.

"This study supports the idea that regulation of Connexin 43 hemi-channel opening using mimetic peptides may be a useful treatment for reducing the spread of damage after spinal cord injury," they wrote in the United States journal Cell Communication and Adhesion.

Professor Nicholson said: "Our next goal is to investigate ways of targeted delivery."

The aim is to give an injection into the bloodstream - but this will depend on the outcome of research on how long the peptide lasts in the blood.

Professor Nicholson said there was some evidence the peptide would reach a spinal cord injury site if put into the bloodstream.

"We may have a natural delivery system that allows for targeted delivery.

"We need to be sure the peptide is stable for long enough." However it could still take a number of years for the team's discoveries to be translated into an established treatment.

Professor Nicholson is part of the new Spinal Cord Injury Research Unit, which was opened on Friday within the university's Centre for Brain Research.

http://www.nzherald....jectid=10745183

[pinkcloud]

now this kind of stuff does look promising....looking back for example i am sure the steroids i were given heped me.

Even though i was deemed as top priority....air ambulances with horrific brain injuries came in....and i actually didnt mind coming second to them poor souls. I chose to ait to go surgery the next day as didnt want a very exhausted neurosurgeon doing me procedure.at 12 mid-night.

Plus it gave me appitite to eat..thats got to have helped build up strength.

What i'd really love to see is pain relief when having to wait for surgery.....that twinned with such as you mentioned nomis would be as great a help as can be

I dont dreamingly wish for miracles for our fellow to be injured beings.....more comfort and a chance of a tad more recovery of function early on, even if not that...no deterioration after would be amazing..

And i wouldnt care if these people complained, even if they have it better than us, i'd quietly smile and think i'm glad no-one has to suffer the degree we had too....