Category Archives: Spinal Cord Injury Treatment

Bob Langer, co-inventor of technology used by InVivo Spinal cord injury treatment company InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp. (OTCBB:NVIV) reported a profit for the first quarter of 2012, and said its biopolymer scaffolding is slated to enter human clinical trials later this year. InVivo shares were up about 6 percent in mid-morning trading to $2.45. The company said it expects to start a pilot human clinical trial of the scaffolding in the second half of 2012, pending approval of an Investigational Device Exemption application by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Following a meeting with the FDA held in April, the company said it is expecting the product to be regulated under the Humanitarian Use Device/Humanitarian Device Exemption pathway that should accelerate commercialization. The Cambridge company uses technology co-invented by MIT Professor Robert Langer and Mass General Hospitals Dr. Joseph P. Vacanti. Langer was among the team of InVivo scientists who met with the FDA in April. The pilot test will be an open label study to evaluate the safety and efficacy in spinal cord injury patients following treatment with the biopolymer scaffolding. The study will follow promising pre-clinical studies completed in non-human primates, according to InVivo. The company also expects … Continue reading →

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp. (OTCBB:NVIV.OB - News), a developer of groundbreaking technologies for the treatment of spinal cord injuries (SCI), today reported the financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2012 and provided a business update. InVivo has pioneered a new treatment that uses a biocompatible polymer-based scaffold to provide structural support to a damaged spinal cord in order to spare tissue from scarring while improving recovery and prognosis after a traumatic spinal cord injury. Today there is no effective treatment for the spinal cord for paralysis caused by SCIs, and the market potential is estimated to be over $10 billion. We are off to a strong start for 2012 and the first quarter was marked by significant achievements and milestones for InVivo," said Frank Reynolds, InVivos Chief Executive Officer. We are creating a new paradigm for the treatment of neurological injuries and are at an inflection point in our growth. By the end of 2012, we expect to have several product applications under review by the FDA. Our biopolymer scaffolding device for the treatment of acute SCIs is poised to enter human clinical trials during the second half of 2012. We expect to submit … Continue reading →

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp. (OTC/BB: NVIV), announced today the appointment of Jack Harvey as Senior Director of Manufacturing and Celina Chang as Senior Scientist as the Company ramps up preparations for a human clinical trial and begins to expand its product portfolio to other nervous system conditions. Mr. Harvey will lead InVivo Therapeutics production of GMP polymer-based biomaterial technologies. Leveraging his seven years as the Director of Manufacturing at Pervasis Therapeutics, Inc., where he led combination biomaterial and cell therapy products through the FDA, Mr. Harvey will lend his knowledge to InVivos existing and future product pipeline. He will manage contracted and internal resources as well as Chemistry, Manufacturing and Control (CMC) development and manufacturing scale up. Mr. Harvey received his B.A. in biology from Harvard University and his M.P.H. Health Law from Boston University, School of Public Health. Im excited to lead InVivos optimization of GMP biomaterial technology manufacturing processes, Mr. Harvey said. Spinal cord injury treatments are a very promising field, and Im eager to provide patients with viable solutions for SCI and other nervous system disorders. Ms. Chang also previously worked at Pervasis as a scientist charged with process improvement for the companys three-dimensional … Continue reading →

On a warm summer night in 1978 , Robb Dunfield and two friends climbed up into a house under construction near Jericho Beach to get a better view of the pillowy tall ships floating in the harbour. They stepped out onto a balcony where the railing had not yet been built. Instead, there was merely a board tapped into place with a nail at either end. It gave way quickly and Dunfield, then an athletic 19-year-old with a zest for adventure, plunged 30 feet into the darkness. Down, down he went, crashing into an abyss. In those few moments, his life changed irrevocably. A church minister who was out walking his dog found him and called an ambulance. When Dunfield regained consciousness several days later in the hospital, he remembers apologizing to his parents for all the trips they were having to make to his bedside. In those first days, his life hovered in the balance. He was under a "do not resuscitate" order. He went into cardiac arrest. That same church minister, who happened to be a friend of his family, gave him the last rites. Slowly, reality sank in. Having broken his back at the second vertebra from … Continue reading →

Public release date: 11-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Bryan Alary bryan.alary@ualberta.ca 780-492-0436 University of Alberta (Edmonton) People with spinal cord injuries and reduced mobility now have access to specialized exercise equipment in an inclusive community setting, thanks to a partnership between the University of Alberta and the Spinal Cord Injury Treatment Centre (Northern Alberta) Society. Two new functional electrical stimulation (FES) rehabilitation therapy machines are now available at the Saville Community Sports Centre, operated by the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation at the U of A. FES is a form of exercise for people with spinal cord injuries, stroke and other neuromuscular disorders that involves sending electrical currents to paralyzed or weakened muscles so they contract to restore some degree of functional movement. The new FES equipment and staffing support was provided by the Spinal Cord Injury Treatment Centre (Northern Alberta) Society. One of the machines, called the RT 200 elliptical, allows users to exercise their arms and legs at the same timea rarity among such equipment in Canada. "Through the incredible support of partners like the Spinal Cord Injury Treatment Centre (Northern Alberta) Society, the University of Alberta has established itself as a leader in … Continue reading →

NEWARK, Calif., May 9, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- StemCells, Inc. (Nasdaq:STEM - News) today announced that Armin Curt, MD, FRCPC, Professor and Chairman, Spinal Cord Injury Center at the University of Zurich, and Medical Director of the Paraplegic Center at the Balgrist University Hospital and principal investigator for the Company's Phase I/II clinical trial in chronic spinal cord injury, will provide a progress report on the trial on Thursday, May 17 at the Interdependence 2012 Global SCI Conference. Interdependence 2012, which is being held in Vancouver, British Columbia on May 15-17, 2012, is jointly organized by the Rick Hansen Institute, a Canadian not-for-profit organization committed to accelerating the translation of discoveries and best practices into improved treatments for people with spinal cord injuries, and the Rick Hansen Foundation. In addition, on Thursday, May 17, Stephen Huhn, MD, FACS, FAAP, Vice President and Head of the CNS Program at StemCells, Inc., will make a presentation on neural stem cell transplantation in neurological disorders. Dr. Huhn will describe the scientific and preclinical rationale for the Company's extensive clinical development program which encompasses all three elements of the central nervous system -- spinal cord, brain, and eye. StemCells was the first company to … Continue reading →

Source: ISNA, Tehran Iranian researchers managed to design and build a machine which helps the patients suffering Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) increase their movement abilities. An Iranian faculty member of the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Science, Amir Massoud Arab told ISNA that there is no treatment for the trauma and that rehabilitation plays a significant role in helping the patients to return to their previous condition to some extent. Arab noted Functional Electrical Stimulation-Assisted Rowing Machine has been made inside the country by Iranian experts and would increase the movement activities of SCI sufferer. It aims to functionalize the rehabilitation objectives. A Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) refers to any injury to the spinal cord that is caused by trauma instead of disease. Depending on where the spinal cord and nerve roots are damaged, the symptoms can vary widely, from pain to paralysis to incontinence. Spinal cord injuries are described at various levels of "incomplete", which can vary from having no effect on the patient to a "complete" injury which means a total loss of function. Arab noted patients' lack of movements as well as their dependence on wheelchair is considered to be of major threats for the SCI … Continue reading →

Medicare Reimbursement Chances May Contribute to Increased Rates of Breakdowns and Consequences Newswise Philadelphia, Pa. (April 27, 2012) Wheelchair-dependent patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) are reporting higher rates of wheelchair breakdowns requiring repairs, according to a study in American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (AJPM&R), the official journal of the Association of Academic Physiatrists, AJPM&R is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health. "It is possible that this increase in the number of repairs is the result of a decreased in wheelchair quality resulting from changes in reimbursement policies and a lack of enforcement of standards testing," write the researchers, led by Dr Michael Boninger of the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System. The data also show a significant increase in wheelchair breakdowns that cause health and safety consequences, such as leaving users stranded. For SCI Patients, Wheelchair Breakdowns Becoming More Frequent Dr Boninger and colleagues analyzed data from an ongoing survey study of more than 700 wheelchair-dependent SCI patients, all of whom used their wheelchairs at least 40 hours per week. The patients provided routine data on wheelchair breakdowns requiring repairs, along with any consequences of breakdownsfor example, being stranded, missing a medical appointment, … Continue reading →

Public release date: 2-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Connie Hughes Connie.Hughes@wolterskluwer.com 646-674-6348 Wolters Kluwer Health Philadelphia, Pa. (May 2, 2012) Wheelchair users with spinal cord injury (SCI) report very high rates of wheelchair breakdownsand the problem is getting worse, suggests a study in American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (AJPM&R), the official journal of the Association of Academic Physiatrists, AJPM&R is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health. The study found that over 50 percent of wheelchair users experienced a breakdown in a six-month period, up from a previous report. "It is possible that this increase in the number of repairs is the result of a decrease in wheelchair quality resulting from changes in reimbursement policies and a lack of enforcement of standards testing," write the researchers, led by Dr Michael Boninger of University of Pittsburgh's Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. They also found a significant increase in wheelchair breakdowns causing health and safety consequences. For People with SCI, Wheelchair Breakdowns Becoming More Frequent Dr Boninger and colleagues analyzed data from an ongoing survey study of more than 700 individuals with SCI who used wheelchairs at least 40 hours per … Continue reading →

by Mike Barnes kvue.com Posted on April 27, 2012 at 2:27 PM Comedian Bill Engvall and Longhorn Legend Doug English continue to team up to fight paralysis with the Lone Star Paralysis Foundation. A golf outing at Onion Creek on Friday was followed by a comedy show. KVUE's Mike Barnes spoke with Engvall. AUSTIN, Texas (April, 2012) April 26 and April 27 will mark the 33rd year of the Lone Star Classic Golf Tournament and Comedy Show, a landmark Austin event which raises funds and awareness for spinal paralysis research. The long-standing event was created by Doug English, a former All-America defensive tackle at the University of Texas and an All-Pro football player for the Detroit Lions. It is hosted by comedian, Bill Engvall and his wife, Gail. The Lone Star Paralysis Foundation was established in 2000 with the mission of finding a cure for spinal cord injury. English developed a personal interest in spinal cord injury research after his friend, Kent Waldrep, a former running back for Texas Christian University, suffered a paralyzing injury in 1974. A serious neck injury ended Englishs own football career and he credits his recovery to the advanced medical treatment he was fortunate enough … Continue reading →