2023-09-29 13:42:12
« Five years ago, we demonstrated that it was possible to regenerate these nerve fibers through complete anatomical lesions of the spinal cordtraces Mark Anderson, head of the spinal cord repair group at the Wyss Center neurotechnology research foundation, in Geneva. But we also realized that this was not enough to restore motor function, because the new fibers failed to connect to the right places on the other side of the lesion ».
For their second study, the Swiss researchers therefore used chemical signals to attract and guide the regeneration of axons towards their natural target region in the lumbar spinal cord. Immediately, they observed significant improvements in walking ability in mice with a complete spinal cord injury. “ This is a truly remarkable result.rejoices Mark Anderson, also director of the central nervous system regeneration group at NeuroRestore. This is the first time anyone has managed to demonstrate this ».
“Inspired by nature”
This discovery allowed them to design a three-part gene therapy. The scientists first activated growth programs in neurons identified in mice to regenerate their nerve fibers. Then, they upregulated specific proteins to support the growth of these neurons, before administering guidance molecules to attract the regenerating nerve fibers to their natural targets below the lesion. “ We were inspired by nature to design [cette] therapeutic strategy, reproducing the spinal cord repair mechanisms that occur spontaneously after partial lesions », summarizes Jordan Squair, co-author of the study, to the specialized magazine Eurekalert.
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