Researchers at Kazan University Work on Gene Cell Therapy of Spinal Cord Injuries

The new method shows first positive results. An article describing current achievements appeared in Spinal Cord. The method is based on transporting therapeutic genes and cord blood cells to the damaged region of the spinal cord. Tests on rats show recoveries of motor functions.

Cord blood cells are unique in having a large number of stem cells, they are also bio-secure and produce little immune response. However, cells alone are not enough to treat serious injuries — such as spinal cord ones. That’s why KFU’s researchers also created a number of gene products that inhibit degenerative processes and stimulate nerve tissue regeneration.

Professor Albert Rizvanov told us that combined gene therapy and cell therapy produces the best effect.

«That way the cells themselves not only stimulate regeneration but also start to produce more bioactive factors which in turn leads to the recoveries of rats' spinal cords after contusion traumas».

The tested methods can be used to treat not only spinal cord injuries but also peripheral nervous system traumas, neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), ischemias, other locomotor system injuries.

The project also involves teams from Kazan State Medical University and Republican Clinical Hospital. Relevant papers appeared in Spinal Cord, Сurrent Gene Therapy, Neuroscience, and other journals.

Source: http://kpfu.ru/eng/news-eng/researchers-at-kfu-work-on-gene-cell-therapy-of.html

health

or on to add a comment to scientific problem you are interested in!

Comments (0)

You may also be interested in

A little video game-playing 'linked with better-adjusted children'

A new study suggests video game-playing for less than an hour a day is linked with better-adjusted children and teenagers. The research, carried out by Oxford University, found that young people who indulged in a little video game-playing were associated with being better adjusted than those who had never played or those who were on video games for three hours or more. The study finds no positive or negative effects for young people who played ‘moderately’ between one to three hours a day. However, the study, published in the journal, Pediatrics, suggests that the influence of video games on children, for good or for ill, is very small when compared with more ‘enduring’ factors, such as whether the child is from a functioning family, their school relationships, and whether they are materially deprived.

Database

The database will assist you in finding companies, investors, research institutes and research centers of aging. We provide full information on public and private companies. According to our plan platform will give access to the world of projects seeking capital to analysts of the leading specialists in online communities, as well as to the global list of investors.

Fundraising

Raise funds necessary for successful work of your company, venture project or your idea.

Researchers at Kazan University Work on Gene Cell Therapy of Spinal Cord Injuries April 12, 2016, 16:10

You may also be interested in