Researchers used gene therapy to stimulate the regrowth of nerves across completely severed spinal cords in mice. The nerves were then directed to connect to the right place underneath the injury site.
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Swiss research helps paralysed man walk again using implants that read brainwaves
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A paralysed man can walk with the aid of implants that read his brainwaves and communicate with a device in his spinal cord to activate muscles.
The results were published on Thursday evening in the scientific journal Science. Thanks to this gene therapy developed by scientists from the Swiss research institute “Neurorestore”, mice with complete spinal cord injuries gained the ability to walk.
These mice showed similar gait patterns as mice that learned to walk again after an incomplete spinal cord injury, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) announced on Friday.
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Animal testing on the rise again
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Some 575,000 animals were used in scientific experiments in Switzerland last year, up 3% from 2020 and the first increase in five years.
When the spinal cord of mice and humans is only partially injured, motor functions can recover spontaneously to a large extent. This is not possible after a complete spinal cord injury.
However, the researchers warned that many obstacles still need to be overcome before this gene therapy can be used in humans.
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