Category Archives: Spinal Cord Injury Treatment

27 PHOTOS Makeshift shelter offers help to paralyzed war victims See Gallery Abu Yassin, 47, attends a physiotherapy session at a spinal cord injury rehabilitation centre in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, February 14, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. Training equipments are seen at a spinal cord injury rehabilitation centre in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, February 14, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. Obeida, 18, a medic at a spinal cord injury rehabilitation centre, walks inside a patient's house to take him to the centre in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, February 13, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. Paraplegic Hussein (R), 35, gets help to go to a spinal cord injury rehabilitation centre in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, February 13, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY Abu … Continue reading →

Neuralstem to Present at Oppenheimer 27th Annual Healthcare Conference on March 21 GERMANTOWN, Md., March 17, 2017 -- Neuralstem, Inc. (Nasdaq:CUR), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of nervous system therapies based on its neural stem cell technology, announces that Rich Daly, Chairman and CEO of Neuralstem, will present at the Oppenheimer27th Annual Healthcare Conference at The Westin New York Grand Central in New York. The presentation is scheduled for Tuesday, March 21, 2017 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time. The live audio webcast of the presentation can be accessed here:Neuralstem. An archive of the presentation will be available approximately three hours after the live event and will be available for 90 days. About Neuralstem Neuralstems patented technology enables the commercial-scale production of multiple types of central nervous system stem cells, which are being developed as potential therapies for multiple central nervous system diseases and conditions. Neuralstems technology enables the discovery of small molecule compounds by systematic screening chemical compounds against its proprietary human hippocampal stem cell line. The screening process has led to the discovery and patenting of molecules that Neuralstem believes may stimulate the brains capacity to generate new neurons, potentially reversing pathophysiologies associated with certain central nervous … Continue reading →

Dr. Vladimir Mashanov, UNF assistant professor of biology, studies organ regeneration in the group of marine invertebrates called echinoderms, which include sea cucumbers and brittle stars -- the two model organisms hes working with. Unlike humans, these animals can regrow almost any part of their body after injury, including major regions of their central nervous system. Even though modern echinoderms and humans dont look similar, they share common evolutionary ancestry. Therefore, there is a good chance that better understanding of the mechanisms that drive rapid post-traumatic regeneration in echinoderms will facilitate development of new, more efficient, therapeutic approaches to treat human injuries, for example, spinal cord injuries. On Tuesday March 14, 2017 Mashanov and one of his undergraduate students pointed out the regenerated growth on several brittle stars, specifically Ophioderma brevispinum, in the research lab on the University of North Florida campus in Jacksonville, Fl. | Buy Photos See original here: UNF study of tiny brittle stars could help treat injuries in humans - Florida Times-Union … Continue reading →

By Bassam Khabieh | DOUMA, Syria DOUMA, Syria Ziad, a paralyzed 14-year-old boy, often stays alone in his room as bombs fall on Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus. Limited in scope, number and size, there are no nearby shelters equipped to receive Ziad who cannot be moved quickly or easily during airstrikes because of his spinal injuries. "The shelters are not ready to accept people like me," he said. Until last year, treatment options were limited for spinal patients caught in a brutal civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced more than 11 million. Now, the Specialist Centre for the Rehabilitation and Care of Spinal Cord Injuries provides physical and psychological treatment. For a photo essay: reut.rs/2mJb5q7 There are an estimated 500 people with spinal injuries in eastern Ghouta, almost all casualties of the six-year war. The center, currently funded entirely by donations, can treat 12 patients at a time for a course of three to six months. Khalid Al-Hallaj, a physiotherapist who runs the center, says obstacles to rehabilitating patients in the midst of the conflict are formidable. Supplies are scarce, especially mobility chairs … Continue reading →

Researchers find acupuncture effective for increasing bone strength and preventing bone loss. In a laboratory investigation, electroacupuncture significantly enhanced outcomes by increasing the efficacy of physical therapy procedures. The application of electroacupuncture significantly improved bone density and strength when engaging in load-bearing exercises and treadmill running exercises. Based on the results of the study, the researchers conclude that acupuncture significantly increases bone strength and density, stimulates peripheral nerve repair, and increases the effectiveness of physical therapy procedures. Researchers at Washington University (St. Louis, Missouri), in association Heilongjiang University (Harbin, China), find electroacupuncture with load-bearing exercise is effective for increasing bone mass density (BMD) and bone strength after sciatic nerve injury. Their laboratory tests, conducted on rabbits, also show that levels of the neuropeptide Substance P (SP) were increased in correlation with bone health by application of electroacupuncture. This study shows that damage to the peripheral nervous system (PNS) can have a detrimental effect on bone health, and that electroacupuncture at Huatuojiaji (Jiaji) points enhance the effects of load-bearing exercise for the improvement of bone health and peripheral innervation. Bones appear static, but they are under constant remodeling; osteoclasts break down bone and osteoblasts build it back up again. This process … Continue reading →

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp. (NVIV)today announced that the Medicines Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved the companys Clinical Trial Authorization Application to commence clinical studies in the United Kingdom (UK). The approval will allow the company to enroll patients from the UK into the ongoing INSPIRE study once InVivo receives a favorable opinion from a Research Ethics Committee (REC), Health Regulatory Approval (HRA), and a site is open for enrollment. InVivo currently is in late-stage conversation with various clinical sites, and its first UK site opening should occur in the coming weeks. We are very pleased to be expanding the INSPIRE study beyond the U.S. and Canada to Europe, Mark Perrin, InVivos CEO and Chairman, said. The benefits of working within the MHRA regulatory construct are readily apparent: only one REC needs to review the study for the whole of UK, compared with individual IRB approvals in the US; site specific assessments are fairly quick; and patients are treated at designated centers of excellence. We look forward to announcing our first UK site. About The INSPIRE Study The INSPIRE Study: InVivo Study of Probable Benefit of the Neuro-Spinal Scaffold for Safety and Neurologic Recovery in Subjects with … Continue reading →

Switzerland-based Ecole polytechnique fdrale de Lausanne researchers are studying intelligent neuroprosthetics with the potential to help those with neurological dysfunction. Here are six observations: 1. Dr. Grgoire Courtine demonstrated paralyzed primates could walk with the help of a smart neuroprosthetic system, "brain-spine interface." The interface decodes brain signals and stimulates the spinal cord to contract leg muscles for a walking motion. 2. Also, Dr. Courtine found paralyzed rats could recover from spinal cord injuries with a few weeks of rehabilitation, leveraging electro-chemical stimulation and physiotherapy with a robotic harness. 3. Clinical trials are testing the spine aspect of the brain-spine interface on people with partial paralysis in clinical trials. 4. As opposed to working toward spinal cord neural regrowth, Dr. Courtine studies the plasticity of the nervous system. 5. The neuroprosthetic protocols feature implantable electrodes equipped with the ability to read neural activity, stimulate nerves and bypass nerve injury for biological function restoration. 6. These electrodes, however, often lead to inflammation and tissue aggravation when implanted. To fix this problem, Dr. Stphanie Lacour designed e-Dura implants, flexible electrodes that conform to the body with the intention of lessening inflammation. More articles on spine: Would back pain patients let non-physicians decide … Continue reading →

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.(BUSINESS WIRE)InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp. (NVIV) today reported financial results for the year ended December 31, 2016. Mark Perrin, InVivos CEO and Chairman, said, 2016 was a year marked by meaningful and significant progress. In 2016, we: We ended the year with approximately $33 million in cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities that we project will fund us into the second quarter of 2018, by which time we expect to be able to submit the HDE application for marketing approval of the Neuro-Spinal Scaffold. Over the coming quarters, we will continue to make progress toward this goal by enrolling more patients, increasing sites, expanding into the U.K., and completing enrollment of the INSPIRE study, which we are now projecting will occur in the third quarter of 2017. In addition to the progress with INSPIRE, we also plan to initiate our first study in cervical SCI in Canada in the coming months. Cervical SCI represents a higher risk, higher reward indication in which the effects of neural preservation, regeneration or remyelination may be more dramatically demonstrated. I am excited at the prospect of building upon last years advances and continuing our journey to redefine the lives of patients with spinal … Continue reading →

The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, a Center of Excellence at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, has published the findings of its first Food and Drug Administration-approved Phase I clinical trial involving the use of human nerve cells to repair a damaged spinal cord. The cells, known as Schwann cells, are essential for the repair of nerve damage, and have long been thought capable of promoting recovery after spinal cord injury. The trial, performed at University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital, is the first in a series designed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of transplanting autologous human Schwann cells to treat individuals with spinal cord injuries. An article detailing the findings, Safety of Autologous Human Schwann Cell Transplantation in Subacute Thoracic Spinal Cord Injury, was published in the February issue of the Journal of Neurotrauma, with Kim D. Anderson Ph.D., research associate professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery and The Miami Project, as lead author. The trial enrolled subjects with the least chance of natural recovery in order to first establish the safety of the cell transplant procedure; specifically, it targeted people with new SCI, less than 30 days after injury, having sustained a trauma-induced lesion … Continue reading →

An Omaha biomedical startup and two partners have secured a $1.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense that will allow them to take the next step in testing a nanoparticle that has shown promise in preclinical testing in treating acute spinal cord injuries. The three-year grant will allow ProTransit Nanotherapy to make a final formulation of the nanoparticle, invented by company co-founder Vinod Labhasetwar, and to conduct further testing, said Gary Madsen, ProTransits other co-founder and chief executive officer. Labhasetwar, now a professor of biomedical engineering at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, is a former researcher at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. ProTransit occupies leased space on the UNMC campus. If successful, the results of those tests will be combined with initial studies to file an investigational new drug application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a critical first step toward a clinical trial in humans. Were very pleased to be able to move it into the next phase of development, said Madsen, former entrepreneur in residence at UNeMed Corp., UNMCs technology licensing arm. Madsen said grants such as the one from the Defense Department are important because its difficult for startups like ProTransit to obtain … Continue reading →