Scientists discover way to repair axon fibers in the nerves of a damaged spine

Scientists have found a way to repair damaged fibers in the spine that don’t repair themselves after significant injury, which could be an important step toward reversing some forms of paralysis.

A team from Imperial College London, in England, was able to stimulate the regeneration of axon fibers in the spines of mice three months after they suffered a devastating spinal cord injury that left them unable to walk. These fibers have no regenerative properties and will

Although the mice did not regain their ability to walk, this is the first time doctors have been able to repair these fibers in the spine, opening the door for further research into repairing damage caused by spinal cord injury (SCI).

An estimated 300,000 Americans suffer from spinal cord injury, with approximately 18,000 cases being recorded each year. While physical therapy and other forms of treatment can help a person slowly regain some function, there are no reliable ways to repair a damaged spine and heal a person’s spinal cord injury-related paralysis.

In a study published Tuesday in PLOS, researchers tested whether the molecule TTK21 could be used to activate axon regeneration in mice suffering from spinal cord injury.

In previous studies, researchers found that the molecule could cope with the task if applied shortly after injury, but there was no existing data on whether it would be effective for chronic spinal cord injury.

Each of the mice was treated for ten weeks, half with TTK21 and the other with a control treatment.

Upon completion of treatment, researchers found that new axons sprout in the spinal cord.

Axons are fibers responsible for transporting signals and impulses between nerve cells.

When damaged, the body can no longer send signals from the brain through the nervous system, making motor functions impossible.

They don’t repair themselves when damaged, causing damage to the nervous system — especially the spinal cord where many nerves connect to the brain — both permanent and devastating.

Axons affected by the injury also stopped retracting, and sensory axon growth in the treated mice also increased.

Unfortunately, despite the growth of the axons, the paralyzed mice did not regain the ability to walk and showed no actual improvements in motor function.

Researchers are still hopeful that TTK21 could serve as a basis for the treatment of paralysis in the future.

“This work shows that a drug called TTK21 administered systemically once a week after a chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) in animals can promote neuronal regrowth and an increase in synapses needed for neuronal transmission,” Simone Di Giovanni, principal investigator of the college, said in a statement.

“This is important because chronic spinal cord injury is a condition with no cure in which neuronal regrowth and repair fail.

“We are now investigating the combination of this drug with strategies that bridge the gap in the spinal cord, such as biomaterials, as possible ways to improve disability in SCI patients.”

Spine injuries are devastating and more common than some may think. The Miami Project reports that approximately 300,000 Americans are currently living with a spinal cord injury.

About 17,000 others will be injured each year. A vast majority of cases, 80 percent, are among men.

In 20 percent of cases, the injured person will have a full-blown spinal cord injury, losing movement completely under the debris.

Currently, there are no drugs to treat spinal cord injury, and instead, patients are subjected to years of physical therapy if they hope to recover.