More than 15 million people worldwide live with a spinal cord injury, with limited effective treatments available. A recent study published in a Russian medical journal has sparked hope for a potential breakthrough in the field. Researchers at the Sklifosovsky Institute for Emergency Medicine in Russia have successfully restored mobility in paralysed pigs using a new intervention.
The study involved anaesthetising the animals, removing the bony arch surrounding the spinal cord, and slicing through the cord with a sharp blade. The researchers then stabilised the spine and placed the two cut ends of the spinal cord in close proximity. A 'fusogen' composed of polyethylene glycol and a biological polymer called chitosan was injected into the injury site and infused into the pigs' blood.
The treated pigs were able to walk again, albeit unsteadily, and had recovered pelvic control and some sensitivity to touch. The researchers believe that the polyethylene glycol helps seal damaged nerves before they degenerate and may also encourage axons to fuse across the lesion. Chitosan may further help by sealing nerve membranes and providing a supportive scaffold.
While the results are promising, experts are cautious about the technique's success in humans. The spinal cord is a complex bundle of axons, immune cells, blood vessels, and supporting tissue, and previous work in mice has suggested that functional recovery depends on guiding axons back to their natural targets.