Human astrocytes 'could repair spinal damage'
Thursday 3rd March 2011
Human astrocyte cells have been found to repair spinal injury in a new study on rats.
Research, published in journal PloS ONE, transplanted the central nervous system support cells into paralysed rats.
The human astrocytes were seen to repair the nervous system rapidly and allowed the rats to regain mobility skills.
Lead author Chris Proschel, of the University of Rochester, said: "What's really striking is the robustness of the effect. Scientists have claimed repair of spinal cord injuries in rats before, but the benefits have been variable and rarely as strong as what we've seen with our transplants."
Meanwhile, scientists from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine have claimed that spinal fusion surgery, commonly used to treat patients with back injury, could leave patients worse off in the long term.
According to HealthDay news, it was revealed that patients who had undergone the treatment experienced worse outcomes in almost all areas than those who had opted for more conservative treatments.
Written by Angela Newbury
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