Stem Cell Breakthough - Paralysis

Stem Cell Breakthrough!


WASHINGTON (AP) -- A medical expert says scientists have done "something that people have been trying to do for at least 30 years" - regrow nerves that are needed to move a muscle.


Wow, this is awesome! Hopefully this process can be developed for humans sometime in the near future.

This is great news as i also heard about it on the local news.Perhaps someone can enlighten me as to why it takes so long to replicate these resulst in humans?

[edit on 23-6-2006 by tarzan]

Science fiction to science fact. We are on the verge of amazing things. I just hope these things are used to aid man and not hurt him.

"Saw off your arm? No problem come on down to Dr. Johnsons office and we'll grow you a new one."

Troy

That is a bit misleading. They can only partially repair a certain type of damage, specifically a clean cut or break in the spinal cord. Unfortunatly about 80% of cord injuries are crushing type and still irreperable. There has been much progress using living rat neurons to multiply and attach themselve through small clean incisions in the cord itself in test dogs. The neurons act king of like a "relay brain". The prblem, other than being unpredictable and sparse results, is that it appears that the neurons connect randomly in that a dog who has learned that firing certain neurons in his brain will move his hind leg foward , now finds that firing those same neurons will cause him to stiffen up a abdominal muscle or something else. Really facinating stuff......

I've shared a few e-mails with THE researcher who is working to use stem cells to repair
and replace the microscopic hair cell nerves that enable us to hear.

As a musician who is now profoundly deaf in one ear with a rapid decline in my ability to hear
in the other ear, I can't wait for this to become a reality.

I've actually volunteered for human trials once his research has progressed to that level.

Unfortunately, it may take ten years before he is permitted to help human beings
due to FDA safety restrictions.

The use of stem cells for spinal injuries is the most effective if used immediately following the injury.
If I'm not mistaken, it is much more difficult to repair damage through scar tissue.


I am hopeful that research in other less restrictive countries helps to speed the way to human
trials in the U.S. ASAP



[edit on 2-7-2006 by FallenFromTheTree]