Updated: 19/11/2012 00:49 | By pa.press.net
A study of pet dogs with severe spinal injuries suffered in accidents offers new hope for paralysed human patients.
Scientists restored movement to the dogs' hind legs by bridging breaks in the spinal cord using cells taken from their noses. The randomised controlled trial is the first to demonstrate effective spinal cord repair in "real life" injury cases.
Professor Robin Franklin, one of the study leaders from Cambridge University, said: "Our findings are extremely exciting because they show for the first time that transplanting these types of cell into a severely damaged spinal cord can bring about significant improvement."
For more than a decade, experts have known that olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) might prove useful in treating damaged spinal cords. The cells support nerve fibre growth that maintains a communication pathway between the nose and the brain. Previous research suggests that OECs can help form a bridge between damaged and undamaged spinal cord tissue by regenerating nerve fibres.
In the new trial, scientists studied 34 pet dogs that had all suffered spinal cord injuries as a result of accidents and back problems. None were injured deliberately for the sake of research. A year or more after their injuries, the animals were unable to use their back legs to walk and incapable of feeling pain in their hindquarters.
One group of dogs had OECs taken from the lining of their own noses and injected into the injury site. Another was only injected with the liquid in which the cells were suspended.
Dogs were tested for neurological function at one month intervals and had their walking ability assessed on a treadmill. Significant improvement was seen in the dogs injected with OECs, but not those receiving the placebo treatment, according to the findings reported in the journal Brain.
However, the researchers found that new nerve connections were only generated over short distances within the spinal cord.
Prof Franklin warned patients and their loved ones not to expect too much from the approach: "We're confident that the technique might be able to restore at least a small amount of movement in human patients with spinal cord injuries, but that's a long way from saying they might be able to regain all lost function," he said. "It's more likely that this procedure might one day be used as part of a combination of treatments, alongside drug and physical therapies, for example."
Dr Rob Huckle, head of regenerative medicine at the Medical Research Council, which funded the study, said: "This proof of concept study on pet dogs with the type of injury sustained by human spinal patients is tremendously important and an excellent basis for further research in an area where options for treatment are extremely limited. It's a great example of collaboration between veterinary and regenerative medicine researchers that has had an excellent outcome for the pet participants and potentially for human patients."
http://news.uk.msn.com/health/dogs-offer-hope-to-paralysed-humans-2
