Around 296,000 people in the United States live with an injury in their spinal cord, the long bone on our back that relays signals between our brain to the rest of our body. Unlike a cut on our skin, however, most spinal cord injuries (SCIs) never heal. Since injuries to the spinal cord can block signals to and from our brain, most people with SCIs have a partial or complete loss of feeling and movement in their arms and legs. To make matters worse, these patients usually spend millions of dollars on hospitalization bills and physical therapy sessions. Finding a cure for SCIs would improve the quality of life for these patients.
Why don’t SCIs heal? Everything in our bodies, from our skin to our spinal cord, is made up of cells. Some cells can multiply for as long as we live. For example, when you get a paper cut, you form a gap in your skin. Your remaining skin cells, however, are able to divide to close that gap. On the other hand, some cells, like those in your spinal cord, stop multiplying as you get older. So, your spinal cord cells cannot close that gap, and the injury remains, preventing signals from your brain to make it to the rest of your body.
Recently, a group of scientists from Northwestern University generated a liquid nanofiber that acts much like a blanket; it wraps around the injured spinal cord and provides it with signals that encourage the spinal cord cells and nearby supporting cells to grow. The novel aspect of this treatment, however, is the flexibility of the nanofibers; the nanofibers move similarly to the natural fibers that surround the spinal cord cells, and this flexibility allows them to “wiggle around” and communicate more efficiently with the cells.
The liquid nanofiber treatment works a lot like a blanket; it wraps the injured spinal cord
and provides the support and comfort needed for the cells to grow again.
Image Source: Geber86
To test if the treatment was effective, the researchers generated a spinal cord injury in mice that left them paralyzed. They then injected the liquid nanofibers into the mice. In three to four weeks, the paralysis was reversed, and the mice were able to walk normally again. After healing the SCI, the liquid nanofibers broke down into materials that the surrounding cells can use. If this therapy is shown to be successful in clinical trials, this could be the first cure for SCIs, allowing many people to be able to walk and run again!
Featured Image Source: Tiero
