Paralysed dogs walk again in breakthrough spinal cord surgery

Chinese scientists claim to have successfully replaced the damaged spinal cords of dogs with a laboratory-grown biomaterial in a breakthrough surgery, sparking hope for millions of people with paralysis.
Scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology in Beijing replaced the three mm missing cord in dogs with a biomaterial grown out of proteins in laboratory, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.
The team feels that the surgical technique, which enabled the injured animals to stand by themselves, could one day help paralysed people to walk again.
"It will help not only patients with spinal cord injuries, but also those with facial and sciatic [hip] nerve injuries, too," head of the team, Dai Jianwu said.

Han Sufang, assistant researcher at the CAS' State Key Laboratory of Molecular Development Biology said, "(The dogs suffered) one of the worst kinds of spinal-cord injuries because the connection was totally severed"
"We were thrilled by the new material's healing effects. However, after the transplant with the new biomaterial, plus exercises to strengthen their legs and regain their balance, the dogs were able to stand on all fours unaided," Sufang said.

The biomaterial acted as a 'bridge' by building a kind of scaffold (LOCS), like a rail, which allowed the broken ends of the cord to be reconnected.
But without data from clinical trials, it remains unclear whether the new biomaterial will prove effective and safe to use on humans.

"Developing a cure so paralysed patients can walk again is our ultimate aim," the team said.
In the United States more than 1.2 million people are paralysed because of damage to their spines - the second biggest cause of paralysis after strokes, according to some estimates.