Minnesota lab rats
Lee: Scientists used 3D-printed scaffolds and stem cells to regrow nerve fibres across severed spinal cords in rats, restoring function and pointing to a promising new path for treating paralysis. The researchers transplanted scaffolds into rats with spinal cords that were completely severed. The cells successfully differentiated into neurons and extended their nerve fibres in both directions—rostral (toward the head) and caudal (toward the tail)—to form new connections with the host’s existing nerve circuits; the new nerve cells integrated seamlessly into the host spinal cord tissue over time, leading to significant functional recovery and enabling movement in the previously paralysed rats.
Sarah: The Minnesota results represent an advanced demonstration of structural regeneration across a fully transected cord – for a rat, not a human. Spinal cords in humans differ both in terms of scale and complexity. How do you engineer the scaffolds to human size so that the cells are stable, immunised and alive? There have been a number of research treatments which succeed in rodent model but do not translate into comparable results in humans. Any outcome is therefore very much 'proof of concept' – it offers hope rather than a clinically backed solution for humans notwithstanding the nuances of partially severed, rather than transected, spinal cord injuries.
https://scitechdaily.com/tiny-lab-grown-spinal-cords-could-hold-the-key-to-healing-paralysis/
Dr Newton Cho – award winning
Lee: Dr Cho has discovered a circuit in the brain that could accelerate mobility recovery after suffering a partial SCI. By targeting circuits with electrical stimulation, he found long-term walking improvements in two people with a partial spinal cord injury. To trigger walking, the brain sends instructions to neural circuits within the spinal cord, which then activate leg muscles. When the spinal cord is damaged, circuits near the injury site and in the brain undergo reorganization. In less severe cases of SCI —involving partial, or incomplete, severance of circuits — this reorganization can prompt the spontaneous (but limited) recovery of walking. Cho and his colleagues surmised that an unbiased examination of the entire brain could reveal these pathways and thereby uncover new therapeutic targets to aid recovery. Analysis revealed increased connectivity and activity in a region known as the lateral hypothalamus. Although prior studies have targeted this region to treat other disorders in humans, it had not been previously linked to SCI. The researchers then stimulated the lateral hypothalamus in different rodent models of SCI. They found that activating a subset of excitatory neurons led to an immediate improvement in walking. Cho and his team enrolled two people with incomplete SCI in a preliminary clinical trial and observed that deep brain stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus produced long-lasting walking enhancements without causing any serious side effects.
Sarah: Dr Cho appears to have pursued a different avenue to his peers – focusing on cerebral activity rather than the spinal cord itself. Whilst it is inevitable that SCI rehabilitation will become more technology-led, it is still early days – the sample size comprises 2 individuals so the findings are pretty generalised and statistically unreliable. Those who practice in the SCI field know that individual variability significantly influences the outcomes. Spinal cord injuries are multi-dimensional so I'd be interested to know the long-term effects of such modulation and whether there is any benefit upon sensory, autonomic and upper limb function i.e. not just mobility.
