Each year the journalists from the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery and the politicians they cover, get together for a black tie knees-up, The Midwinter Ball, before Parliament takes its winter break. Fundraising aspects of the night included the auctioning of such things as…
Month: June 2013
Stage II trial results using umbilical cord cell transplants for chronic SCI show promising results
After progress in Stage II trial using stem cells to regrow nerve fibres, the China Spinal Cord Injury Network (ChinaSCINet) has applied for regulatory approval for a third and final phase, which it hopes to start in the autumn. “This…
Bladder control restored in rats after spinal injury using nerve cell transplant
Rats regained some bladder control after surgery to transplant nerve cells into the spinal cord, combined with injections of a cocktail of chemicals. The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, could raise hopes for one day treating paralysed patients.…
Running because he still can!
Raymond Luxa is lucky to be able to walk, let alone run. In 2007 he suffered a serious back injury which came very close to leaving him a paraplegic. After such a narrow escape Raymond is keen to help those…
Testing method promising for reducing damage in spinal cord injuries and multiple sclerosis
A medical test previously developed to measure a toxin found in tobacco smokers has been adapted to measure the same toxin in people suffering from spinal cord injuries and multiple sclerosis, offering a potential tool to reduce symptoms. The toxin,…
Your fat may be a source pluripotent of stem cells
Researchers based at the University of California, Los Angeles announced that they’ve found an abundant, cheap, easy-to-obtain source of stem cells that could prove to be ideal for regenerating all the basic tissue types of the human body. That source is…
Alan Trounson: embryonic stem cells from cloned embryos could improve iPS cells
In his monthly blog report, President of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, Alan Trounson has given a very balanced view on the recent breakthrough research which created embryonic stem cells from cloned human embryos. Read article…
Clinical trial promise for spinal cord injury protein blocker research
Queensland scientists have advanced a potential new treatment for spinal cord injury with a view to starting clinical trials.
If you could control something with your mind, what would you choose?
Researchers at an Australian university are developing a novel brain computer interface. The brain signals obtained can be used to control, for example, a robotic limb device, with greater degrees of freedom than are currently available from surface electrodes and…