StemCells, Inc. has announced that it has transplanted the first subject in its Phase II Pathway® Study assessing the efficacy of its proprietary HuCNS-SC® (purified human neural stem cells) platform technology for the treatment of cervical spinal cord injury (SCI). The…
Month: December 2014
Latest efforts to produce STAP stemcells come up empty handed
Haruko Obokata, the Japanese stem-cell biologist whose papers caused a sensation earlier this year before being retracted, has not succeeded in an attempt to replicate the controversial experiments, the Japanese media has reported. Read more…
Is spine board immobilisation doing more harm than good?
The first notable study on the implementation of backboards and C-collars was conducted in the 1960s, but most of the recommendations have been based on tradition and informed opinion, and not necessarily validated, scientific evidence. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of…
On-Off switch for critical stem cell gene discovered
University of Toronto (U of T) researchers investigating stem cells in mice report for the first time an instance of a relationship between the Sox2 gene, which is critical for early development, and a region elsewhere on the genome that…
Research roundup November 2014
The last six months have seen big advances, even bigger claims and some frenzied media attention for SCI research… In October was the news that Darek Fidyka, a complete paraplegic, was walking again after receiving an olfactory ensheathing glial cell…
Valproic acid-mediated neuroprotection and neurogenesis after spinal cord injury
Abstract: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is difficult to treat because of secondary injury. Valproic acid (VPA) is clinically approved for mood stabilization, but also counteracts secondary damage to functionally rescue SCI in animal models by improving neuroprotection and neurogenesis via…
Four-part series of Dr Murray Blackmore’s quest to cure paralysis
A four-part multimedia series that tells the story of Marquette University researcher Murray Blackmore and his deep, personal quest to cure paralysis. See video…
Latest on clinical trials for SCI in Japan
http://vimeo.com/114285582 Dr. Masatoshi Ito, Executive Director of the Japan SCI Foundation recently gave an update of the clinical trial progress in Japan at Working 2 Walk 2014 hosted by Unite 2 Fight Paralysis. “Current SCI clinical studies in Japan include…
Tobacco smoke could increase pain in spinal cord injury
A neurotoxin called acrolein found in tobacco smoke that is thought to increase pain in people with spinal cord injury has now been shown to accumulate in mice exposed to the equivalent of 12 cigarettes daily over a short time…
New drug promotes axon sprouting and returns function in rat spinal cords
After spinal cord injury, axons try to cross the injury site and reconnect with other cells but are stymied by scarring that forms after the injury. Previous studies suggested their movements are blocked when the protein tyrosine phosphatase sigma (PTP…