SCIENCE / MEDICINE : Spinal Nerves in Rats Regenerated

A new medical technique can regenerate severed spinal cord nerves in rats, but whether the revolutionary approach will restore mobility or help humans remains an open question, researchers reported last week.

Swiss scientists said their technique, which works by removing the body’s natural “brake” on nerve growth, has triggered regrowth of up to a half-inch in the nerve strands that make up a major part of rats’ spinal cords. That is 10 to 20 times longer than the usual tiny “sprout” of regrowth after a spinal cord nerve is cut, they said.

The Swiss study, published in the journal Nature, involved a major bundle of spinal cord nerves, which connect the brain to nerves controlling subtle motion in animals’ rear limbs.

The technique uses antibodies to knock out two naturally occurring proteins known to block nerve cell growth in the test tube.