Nerve fibers regrown in spines of rats

May 23, 2004

By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID

Associated Press May 23, 2004

WASHINGTON - A combination of therapies helped damaged spines regrow

nerve fibers, researchers report in a study of rats.

Three separate therapies, each of which had shown promise in earlier

tests, were combined in the new effort by a team at the University of

Miami, according to Sunday's online edition of the journal Nature

Medicine.

The combination therapy was designed by Damien D. Pearse and

Bartlett Bunge, who were looking for a way to help damaged nerve cells

overcome signals that limit their growth after an injury.

They combined cell grafts with the administration of a messenger

molecule and the drug Rolipram in animals with spinal injuries. The

therapy, they found, helped protect nerve fibers from dying and promoted

new growth of fibers into, as well as beyond, the area of injury.

" This work opens up new possibilities for treatments for spinal

cord-injured humans, " Bunge said in a statement.

Naomi Kleitman, director of spinal cord injury research at the National

Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, said that in the future

" it should be feasible to consider developing a clinical trial in this

area " for injured people.

Each part of the therapy was hailed in its own day as promising, but

none provided much nerve growth, Kleitman said.

The new work combining them is significant, added Kleitman, who formerly

worked at Miami but was not part of the research.

The therapy included administration of the drug Rolipram near the time

of injury and, up to one week later, transplantation of nerve cells

called Schwann cells and administration of cyclic adenosine

monophosphate, or cAMP. The Rolipram helped protect the damaged nerve

cells from further injury. The Schwann cells and cAMP spurred regrowth.

The research was supported by the Reeve Paralysis

Foundation, the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and the Buoniconti Fund.

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