This New Development Could Help Repair Spinal Cord Injuries
A specialized antibody treatment may help patients with spinal cord injuries regain better control of their arm and hand movements, according to European researchers.
The new development could give thousands of people more independence when it comes to partaking in daily activities.
The research focused on an antibody called NG 101. It targets a protein in the body that prevents damaged nerves from healing.
The study involved a total of 126 participants between the ages of 18 and 70 from 13 medical centers across Germany, Switzerland, Spain, and the Czech Republic.
All patients had experienced acute spinal cord injuries in their neck region. This condition is known as tetraplegia and affects arm and hand movement.
It can make simple everyday tasks, such as grooming/personal hygiene and using a smartphone, challenging.
The participants were split into two groups to test the effectiveness of the treatment. Overall, 78 received the antibody treatment through direct injections into the spinal canal, while 48 received a placebo. The injections were administered into the spinal canal six times over the course of four weeks.
Both the patients and their doctors were in the dark about who was receiving which treatment, which ensured that the results were unbiased.
The impact of the treatment was mainly measured through changes in upper extremity motor scores after a period of six months.
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The findings revealed that patients with complete spinal cord injuries, where all nerve communication is cut off, did not show improvement.
In contrast, those with incomplete injuries, where some nerve pathways remain intact, demonstrated notable progress in regaining control of their paralyzed muscles. As a result, they were able to better perform daily tasks independently.
The antibody works by neutralizing Nogo-A, a protein that prevents damaged nerve fibers from healing. The treatment blocks the protein and allows nerve fibers to grow and rebuild connections, which could restore function that was previously lost.
One limitation of the study was its size and duration, which might have restricted the ability to observe significant benefits of the treatment.
The broad range of injury severities and responses to treatment among the patients may have also influenced the results.
So far, no side effects of the treatment have been reported. Still, further research is needed in order for scientists to better understand who would benefit the most from these types of therapies.
The researchers plan to conduct a follow-up study with an improved version of the antibody. For people living with spinal cord injuries, the new development is not quite a cure-all.
However, it is changing the way recovery looks. It also means the possibility of achieving independence and an improvement in quality of life.
The details of the study were published in The Lancet Neurology.
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