Varied therapies for spinal cord injury

The Associated Press • Published May 03, 2008

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There is no cure for a spinal cord injury, but much headway has been made in clinical research that could lead to one. Other therapies have helped to restore some function in spinal cord injured patients. A look at some efforts:

CELL TRANSPLANTATION

Cell-based therapies hold the potential for replacing cells and restoring function lost to disease or injury. Among those being developed to help treat spinal cord injuries:

- Stem Cells

Stem cells are building blocks capable of turning into various cells and tissues found in the body. Embryonic stem cells, in particular, are able to transform into any tissue, given the right biochemical instructions, and could be used to replace spinal cord cells lost during injury. However, human embryonic stem cell research is politically controversial, because culling the cells destroys embryos. Still in the research phase, stem cells have helped paralyzed rodents move again in several ways, including helping to regrow destroyed nerve cells in the spinal cord and successfully restoring myelin, a nerve fiber insulation that helps maintain the electrical conduction required to move.

- Olfactory Tissue/Cells

Olfactory tissue, which covers about one-inch of the upper nasal cavity, contains many cells with regenerative potential, including olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs). Several experiments have found that OECs promote nerve regeneration and may restore function when implanted into an injured spinal cord. These OECs produce insulating myelin sheaths around the damaged nerve cells, encouraging regrowth. While research continues, some scientists, including Portugal's Dr. Carlos Lima, have transplanted olfactory tissue into patients with spinal cord injuries. Preliminary results were published in 2006 in the Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine http://www.apssci.org/pdf/olfactory.pdf

- Schwann Cells

Another type of "ensheathing" cell, Schwann cells may also help stimulate nerve regeneration of an injured spinal cord. According to Dr. Wise Young, founding director of the W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience at Rutgers University, many laboratories have shown that Schwann cells alone will improve function after spinal cord injury in animals and even more so when they are combined with other therapies, such as OECs.