Comments on: Enzyme found to help formation of new axons http://www.spinalcordresources.com/2009/11/enzyme-found-to-help-formation-of-new-axons/ The site for news and information for the disabled community Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:24:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: ghgeorge http://www.spinalcordresources.com/2009/11/enzyme-found-to-help-formation-of-new-axons/comment-page-1/#comment-4255 ghgeorge Sun, 08 Nov 2009 16:04:08 +0000 http://www.spinalcordresources.com/?p=965#comment-4255 JS; From what we understand, the sugar is placed in tubes with other sugars to keep everything from breaking down in the body. The tubes are placed in the scar tissue near the damaged area in the spinal cord. The sugar mixture then breaks down the scar tissue so that neurons can start to make connections. This has been one of the major stumbling blocks of stem cell usage in spinal cord repair - the scar tissue blocked the newly created neurons from hooking up to the originally damaged neurons in the spine. There have been a variety of research teams that have been working on ways to get around all the scar tissue but no one has made any real progress. If this works as well in apes (and then humans) as rats, it will open up brand new areas for researchers to work on so that newly created neurons can finally be hooked up to the older tissue and the brain is then reconnected to the muscles. The other part of the study is the usage of electrical stimulation along neuron groups that have been fixed so that the brain can be retrained to know that these pathways are working again. Once the patient starts to feel and control a muscle group then they are handed off to rehabilitation to strengthen the muscles. This is very exciting research and we hope that they are successful in getting this to human trials. So much work has been done in neuron repair and replacement that once doctors get past the scar tissue I think we are going to see major advances in spinal cord repair. Greg JS;
From what we understand, the sugar is placed in tubes with other sugars to keep everything from breaking down in the body. The tubes are placed in the scar tissue near the damaged area in the spinal cord. The sugar mixture then breaks down the scar tissue so that neurons can start to make connections. This has been one of the major stumbling blocks of stem cell usage in spinal cord repair – the scar tissue blocked the newly created neurons from hooking up to the originally damaged neurons in the spine. There have been a variety of research teams that have been working on ways to get around all the scar tissue but no one has made any real progress. If this works as well in apes (and then humans) as rats, it will open up brand new areas for researchers to work on so that newly created neurons can finally be hooked up to the older tissue and the brain is then reconnected to the muscles. The other part of the study is the usage of electrical stimulation along neuron groups that have been fixed so that the brain can be retrained to know that these pathways are working again. Once the patient starts to feel and control a muscle group then they are handed off to rehabilitation to strengthen the muscles.
This is very exciting research and we hope that they are successful in getting this to human trials. So much work has been done in neuron repair and replacement that once doctors get past the scar tissue I think we are going to see major advances in spinal cord repair.

Greg

]]> By: JS http://www.spinalcordresources.com/2009/11/enzyme-found-to-help-formation-of-new-axons/comment-page-1/#comment-4253 JS Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:45:55 +0000 http://www.spinalcordresources.com/?p=965#comment-4253 Very interesting. I'm a little confused on how the process works, though -- the enzyme breaks down sugars, which themselves prevent the body from destroying the scar tissue. Is that correct? Doesn't that mean this would only work on a wound that's fresh and still healing? But the rest of the article suggests that the enzyme simply breaks down scar tissue itself. That'd be a real boon, especially for keloid-formers... Very interesting.
I’m a little confused on how the process works, though — the enzyme breaks down sugars, which themselves prevent the body from destroying the scar tissue. Is that correct? Doesn’t that mean this would only work on a wound that’s fresh and still healing? But the rest of the article suggests that the enzyme simply breaks down scar tissue itself. That’d be a real boon, especially for keloid-formers…

]]> By: uberVU - social comments http://www.spinalcordresources.com/2009/11/enzyme-found-to-help-formation-of-new-axons/comment-page-1/#comment-4251 uberVU - social comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:54:58 +0000 http://www.spinalcordresources.com/?p=965#comment-4251 <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by Soterians: Exciting news re: spinal cord injuries--enzyme helps formation of new axons http://ow.ly/zUlF... Social comments and analytics for this post…

This post was mentioned on Twitter by Soterians: Exciting news re: spinal cord injuries–enzyme helps formation of new axons http://ow.ly/zUlF...

]]> By: Tweets that mention Enzyme found to help formation of new axons | Spinal Cord Resources Network -- Topsy.com http://www.spinalcordresources.com/2009/11/enzyme-found-to-help-formation-of-new-axons/comment-page-1/#comment-4250 Tweets that mention Enzyme found to help formation of new axons | Spinal Cord Resources Network -- Topsy.com Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:54:14 +0000 http://www.spinalcordresources.com/?p=965#comment-4250 [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Dan Fritcher, Jacquelyn Wheeler and Bill Curry, Moez Bali. Moez Bali said: An enzyme found by researcher at Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology to help formation of new axons. http://bit.ly/2dbDWt [...] [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Dan Fritcher, Jacquelyn Wheeler and Bill Curry, Moez Bali. Moez Bali said: An enzyme found by researcher at Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology to help formation of new axons. http://bit.ly/2dbDWt [...]

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