Contact:
Julian Mattocks
Phone: +43-1-81140-308
E-Mail: mattocks@pressetext.com
| Pressbox | 
|
Cambridge (pte018/14.04.2005/10:45) - British scientists are hoping that a treatment that has helped paralysed dogs to move could also help people. As the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk reports, veterinary surgeons from the University of Cambridge http://www.cam.ac.uk have treated nine dogs, who were all able to move their hind leg jerkily, within a month. The treatment involves taking nerve cells from the brain and injecting them into the damaged part of the spinal cord. According to an expert from the Institute of Neurology, the same benefits could be seen in humans. An Australian team has already treated humans with OEG cells, but the results will not be published until 2007.
The UK researchers studied dogs that had been paralysed in road accidents, or through spinal cord injuries. All had been unable to move for at least three months. The treatement uses olfactory ensheathing glia (OEG) cells, which are present at the back of the nose. They are the only nerve cells capable of constant regeneration. The cells were collected by opening the dog's skulls. They were then multiplied in the lab, and injected into the spinal cord. In addition to regaining some movement, the animals also appeared to recover some sensation below the injury site. Three can now warn their owners if they need to empty their bladder, although they have not regained control.
According to the researchers, there is no indication that the dogs can feel pain again, but at the same time, they do not appear to be suffering pain from a severed nerve, which is a potential side effect of the treatment. The team are looking for an alternative source of OEG cells as three of the dogs have suffered seizures as a result of the surgery. They have identified a form of stem cell found in mucous of the nose, which it might be possible to turn into OEGS in the lab, and which can be collected simply by inserting a swab up the nose.
"It is exceedingly improbable that one simple intervention alone will permit full recovery of locomotor activity (movement) after this type of extremely severe spinal injury," said Nick Jeffery, who worked on the University of Cambridge research. "These findings in dogs are directly relevant to the human situation," added Geoffrey Raisman, of the Institute of Neurology. "Of course, we can't know for sure without doing the work, but it is a very good indicator that we can expect the same effects. We are hoping to start similar trials in humans within a couple of years."
(end)
|
|
