British scientists have developed a revolutionary laser treatment that can counteract spinal pain in paralyzed people.
The treatment could simply save movement and sensation after a spinal cord injury by providing near-infrared light to save you and even counteract nerve death. The first human trials are now planned to administer it over a fiber-optic cable within four hours of an injury, to allow an otherwise paralyzed user to walk again.
Scientists believe this strategy could also be used to “wake up” nerve cells in the spine to regain movement in other people who were paralyzed after a twist of fate years earlier.
The University of Birmingham research team, led by Professor Zubair Ahmed, has already shown that gentle lightning can repair movement and sensation in rats with spinal cord injuries. He says it could be tested in humans in the next two to three years and that if it is then approved through the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), it can only be administered through the NHS for less than £100 depending on the patient.
Professor Ahmed told the Mirror: “We want to present this to humans now because it’s a very exciting discovery. Based on the effects we have, this will prevent patients from becoming paralyzed.
“In the UK, a further 2,500 people suffer spinal cord injuries a year, basically as a result of road injuries and falls. Spinal injuries can also occur in contact sports, adventure sports, and due to drunken behavior, such as jumping into a pool without water. .
“Right now, the only thing we can do is manage the symptoms of spinal injuries. Sometimes, other people have safe functions, but most of us become paralyzed, because unfortunately we have nothing to counteract that paralysis.
In the UK, another 50,000 people live with spinal cord injuries that cause irreversible damage. The new mild near-infrared treatment, called photobiomodulation, is already approved by NICE to treat painful canker sores caused by cancer treatments such as chemotherapy.
Animal testing now suggests it could be repurposed to allow patients to stop their bodies if they were delivered shortly after arriving at the emergency room. A small fiber-optic cable would be inserted into the back of the column to direct the near-infrared. gentle on the site of the injury. They would cover him with a bandage between treatments and at the end of the week, they would remove the plug from the cord.
Professor Ahmed said: “We found that only one minute of gentle treatment is needed each day for the first seven days. But it should be started quickly, within four hours of the injury. It’s very, very reasonable and can also only be given to anyone who has a spinal cord injury.
It was once thought that if a patient with a spinal cord injury didn’t do so after six months, they would remain in a wheelchair forever. Sticky scar tissue prevents the spinal cord from repairing itself by acting as glue, leading to paralysis below the site of injury. the injury.
Within five years, Professor Ahmed’s team plans to expand human clinical trials to patients who use wheelchairs due to long-standing spinal injuries. “We haven’t decided yet whether other people in wheelchairs can walk again,” he said. The interesting thing about spinal cord injury is that other people’s neurons are still alive. They just need to be regenerated.
“It would mean that other people could get back to doing what they love to do, get out of the wheelchair and start exercising again. That’s our ultimate goal.
Laboratory tests on nerve cells showed that emitting red light at a wavelength of 660 nm for one minute per day increased the number of living cells by 45% over five days of treatment. Tests on rats then showed that it restored movement and sensation.
Birmingham Business University has patented the soft drive cable device for spinal injuries and it is an investment for human clinical trials. The study’s first author, Andrew Stevens, Registrar of Neurosurgery, said: “Surgery after a spinal cord injury is common, but lately those operations are only aimed at stabilising injuries to the bones of the spine that have been broken due to trauma.
“This concept is incredibly exciting because it could offer surgeons the opportunity, in the same operation, to implant a device that could help protect and repair the spinal cord. “
The spinal cord is a collection of nerve cells that transmit commands in the form of electrical messages from the brain to the body. When a user suffers a spinal injury, some of the damage occurs immediately.
This number one damage to the spinal cord occurs when the vertebrae surrounding it detach and weigh on the spinal cord, such as in a car accident. The spinal cord would possibly be injured by breaking and puncturing the bony vertebrae or by a stab wound. .
Professor Ahmed explained: “This number one injury triggers a total cascade of events that can last for months and cause even greater pain. A lot of swelling occurs at the site of the injury and the spinal cord develops cysts or fluid-filled cavities that enlarge inside. “of the first few months.
“This causes more damage as vulnerable tissues in the spinal cord are crushed, disrupting nerve signals and leading to further loss of function, such as loss of function of the limbs and intestines. This remedy shrinks those cavities in the spinal cord, prevents neurons from dying. and it also encourages them to regenerate.
The new treatment to be tested involves placing a small fiber-optic cable at the back of the spine and directing near-infrared light toward the site of injury. You are covered with a bandage between treatments, and at the end of the week, the plug is removed from the cord.
Professor Ahmed said: “Mitochondria are the engine of the mobile and have light-sensitive molecules. This activates them and affects mobile metabolism and can decrease inflammation and mobile death. It also wakes up neurons to grow back.
The study team also believes that it may simply swell and have significant benefits for other people with traumatic brain injuries in long-term studies.
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