Breakthrough MayMake It Possible For Paralyzed to Walk Again
Feb 8, 2022 16:10:54 GMT -5
Post by songbird on Feb 8, 2022 16:10:54 GMT -5
ISRAELI SCIENTIFIC BREAKTHROUGH MAY MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR PEOPLE WITH PARALYSIS TO WALK AGAIN
BY JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH | FEB 7, 2022 | MEDICAL/SCIENCE
In the 34 developed countries, an estimated one percent of the population – or 10,000,000 people – require a wheelchair; in 156 developing countries, at least two percent – or 121,800,000 people –need a wheelchair. Overall, of the 7,091,500,000 people in the world, about 131,800,000 or 1.85% suffer from paralysis or weakness that requires a wheelchair to get around.
But one day, thanks to a major Israeli scientific breakthrough reached for the first time in the world, people with paralysis of their legs may be able to walk again. Researchers at the Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology of Tel Aviv University (TAU) engineered functional human spinal cord tissues from human materials and cells and implanted them in lab models that featured chronic paralysis, successfully restoring walking abilities in 80 percent.
The technology behind the Israeli breakthrough uses patient tissue samples, transforming it into a functioning spinal cord implant via a process that mimics the development of the spinal cord in human embryos. “Our goal for the next few years is to engineer personalized spinal cord implants to repair tissue damaged from injury without the risk of implant rejection,” said the researchers.
The research was led by biotechnology Prof. Tal Dvir and included doctoral student Lior Wertheim, Dr. Reuven Edri, and Dr. Yona Goldshmit. Other contributors included Prof. Irit Gat-Viks from the Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Prof. Yaniv Assaf from the Sagol School of Neuroscience, and Dr. Angela Ruban from the Steyer School of Health Professions – all at Tel Aviv University. The results of the study were published in the prestigious scientific journal Advanced Science under the title “Regenerating the injured spinal cord at the chronic phase by engineered iPSCs-derived 3D neuronal networks.”
Continued at link
BY JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH | FEB 7, 2022 | MEDICAL/SCIENCE
In the 34 developed countries, an estimated one percent of the population – or 10,000,000 people – require a wheelchair; in 156 developing countries, at least two percent – or 121,800,000 people –need a wheelchair. Overall, of the 7,091,500,000 people in the world, about 131,800,000 or 1.85% suffer from paralysis or weakness that requires a wheelchair to get around.
But one day, thanks to a major Israeli scientific breakthrough reached for the first time in the world, people with paralysis of their legs may be able to walk again. Researchers at the Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology of Tel Aviv University (TAU) engineered functional human spinal cord tissues from human materials and cells and implanted them in lab models that featured chronic paralysis, successfully restoring walking abilities in 80 percent.
The technology behind the Israeli breakthrough uses patient tissue samples, transforming it into a functioning spinal cord implant via a process that mimics the development of the spinal cord in human embryos. “Our goal for the next few years is to engineer personalized spinal cord implants to repair tissue damaged from injury without the risk of implant rejection,” said the researchers.
The research was led by biotechnology Prof. Tal Dvir and included doctoral student Lior Wertheim, Dr. Reuven Edri, and Dr. Yona Goldshmit. Other contributors included Prof. Irit Gat-Viks from the Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Prof. Yaniv Assaf from the Sagol School of Neuroscience, and Dr. Angela Ruban from the Steyer School of Health Professions – all at Tel Aviv University. The results of the study were published in the prestigious scientific journal Advanced Science under the title “Regenerating the injured spinal cord at the chronic phase by engineered iPSCs-derived 3D neuronal networks.”
Continued at link