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Nerve cells ’guided’ to repair spinal damage: Technique

May lead to treatment for severed spinal cords

University of Toronto researchers have designed a method to facilitate nerve cell repair that could ultimately lead to treating severed spinal cords.

The technique, outlined in the July 6 online version of Biomaterials, involves imbedding a series of fibrous rods into a gel substance and then dissolving the rods, leaving a series of longitudinal channels. These channels are then injected with peptides, molecules that stimulate cell adhesion and migration. "When nerve cells are placed at the opening of the channel, the peptides act like breadcrumbs to follow," says Molly Shoichet, lead author and professor of chemical engineering and applied chemistry at U of T’s Institute for Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering (IBBME).

Karen Kelly | EurekAlert!
Further information:
http://www.utoronto.ca

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