LEARNED mice have resurfaced thanks to a breakthrough gene therapy that creates hope for the millions of people with paralysis.
German scientists have shown how they can repair the damaged spinal cord of mice by injecting something called a design protein.
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After being injected into the brain, the paralyzed rodents that could not use their hind legs walked again in two to three weeks.
The experiment was carried out by researchers from the Ruhr University Bochum in Germany.
They have developed a protein called “hyper-interleukin-6” that can stimulate the regeneration of damaged nerve cells.
It is genetically engineered because these types of proteins do not occur naturally.
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The scientists also genetically engineered a virus that could carry the blueprint to the damaged cells in the mice.
After this virus was injected and the information it carried was shared, the spinal cord cells in the mice were able to create the protein themselves.
This meant that they could regenerate the nerves that send signals from the brain to the spinal cord.
Lead researcher Dietmar Fischer told Reuters: ‘The special thing about our study is that the protein is not only used to stimulate the nerve cells it produces itself, but that it is also carried further (by the brain).
“In this way, with a relatively small intervention, we stimulate a very large number of nerves to regenerate and this is ultimately why the mice can walk again.”
The researchers are working with mice that have just been paralyzed.
They are now looking to see if their protein still has a positive effect on mice that have been paralyzed for weeks.
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This will determine if the treatment is ready for human trials.
The researchers are also working on a better way to administer the new protein.
Applying such treatment to humans is scientifically groundbreaking.
However, it must first be tested on mammals such as pigs and dogs.
This is why the researchers stressed that it can take years before the treatment is tested on humans.
What is paralysis?
Paralysis is the loss of function in the whole body or the whole body.
This is many times due to damage to the spinal cord.
It can occur when parts of nerve cells, called axons, are damaged.
This could be due to a traumatic accident such as a car accident or a bad fall.
Axons are the part of nerve cells that are responsible for sending signals from the brain to other parts of the body, such as muscles and skin.
If they are damaged, communication may stop so that the patient cannot move or feel in the affected area.
There is currently no cure for paralysis.
However, there were occasions that some or all muscle control returned to treatment due to the cause of the injury.
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