As writes the edition EurekAlert, a group of scientists from the Israel Institute of technology first succeeded with the help of stem cell therapy to paralyzed rats regain the ability to walk and ability to feel your limbs. In addition, this treatment resulted in recovery of the damaged spinal cord.
A unique study was led by Dr. Shulamit Levenberg. In the experiment, the groups of laboratory rats were crossed by the spinal cord, causing the limbs of rodents was paralyzed. Then animals were implanted with human stem cells, the fence which was made of oral mucosa. These cells were modified in a special way so that they were able to produce growth factors nerve tissue.
In addition to stem cells was embodied in the right places, experts have created three-dimensional scaffold for spinal cord of rodents. The cells were injected to rats at regular intervals of time for several weeks. For monitoring were selected group of animals with the same lesion of the spinal cord. But these rats received a traditional restoration of nerve tissue treatment.
The result is three weeks of the experiment, 42% of rats with paralysis of the lower limbs could support the weight of your own body and to walk again, and 75% of the animals responded to treatment, began to feel the paws and tail. In the control group the percentage recovery was very low. Now Israeli scientists are conducting further research that will help to identify the cause for which therapy is not allowed the drug positive effect on all animals.
Scientists have restored paralyzed rats the ability to walk
Vladimir Kuznetsov