Stem cells used to cure paralysis in rats

June 26, 2006

Dr. Douglas Kerr, a neurologist at Johns Hopkins University, has recently led a research team to identify enough of the chemicals necessary to regrow motor neurons. They have succeeded in partially restoring paralyzed rats' ability to walk.

These results represent major progress towards curing many nerve-related problems in humans, such as Lou Gehrig's disease and spinal cord injuries. However, Dr. Karr emphasized that it will be many years before any possible treatments for humans become available.

Dr. Naomi Keitman of the National Institutes of Health's neurology division said "They did something that people have been trying to do for at least 30 years and literally hit a brick wall until now."

The research will be published in the Annals of Neurology.