An experimental therapy that combines stem cells and gene therapy to repair spinal cord injuries in rats may lead to a new way to treat the same injury in humans.
The therapy, described in the July 27 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, shows significant potential for repairing the spinal cord by regenerating a protective coating on the nervous system, said lead researcher Scott Whittemore of the University of Louisville.
"Other scientists have suggested this technique, but our study is the first to show that it really works," said Whittemore, the University of Louisville Henry D. Garretson Endowed Chair in Spinal Cord Injury Research and scientific director of the Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center.
Injuries to the spinal cord can damage myelin, a coating that protects the nervous system much like the insulation around an electrical cord. When...
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