Researchers see nanotechnology treatment for spinal cord injuries

[Guest guest]

http://ca.news./s/afp/070427/health/us_health_medicine_nanotechnology

Fri Apr 27, 3:46 AM

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Nanotechnology is showing promise in treating

spinal cord injuries and could conceivably reverse paralysis,

according to a report on the future of the emerging technology in

medicine.

The report, released at a Washington forum this week, said

nanotechnology -- or the use of materials on the scale of atoms and

molecules -- may also help cure other ailments believed to be

intractable by repairing damaged organs or tissue.

This suggests damage from heart attacks or strokes, bone or tooth loss

or ailments such as diabetes and Parkinson's disease could be treated

with nanotechnology, researchers said.

A presentation by Northwestern University researcher Stupp

showed mice that had been paralyzed by damaged spinal cords regained

the ability to use their limbs six weeks after receiving an injection

of a solution designed to regenerate damaged nerve cells through

nanotechnology.

The solution includes molecules designed to reassemble into the type

of tissue that normally cannot be healed or regenerated naturally such

as bone or nerve, Stupp said.

" By injecting molecules that were designed to self-assemble into

nanostructures in the spinal tissue, we have been able to rescue and

regrow rapidly damaged neurons, " he said, after showing a video of the

mice before and after treatment in a forum at the Woodrow

International Center for Scholars.

" We are very excited because this gives us an entry into the area of

neuro-degenerative disease. "

Stupp said the treatments used in research so far have not used stem

cells -- which are the base cells from human embryos that can form

into different cells -- but that stem cells may increase the potential

for nanotechnology treatment.

The researcher said his team's basic research for spinal cord

treatment has been published in Science magazine and their latest

results on reversing paralysis are now being reviewed for publication.

He said researchers hope to begin clinical trials on humans for spinal

cord treatment " within a couple of years. "

Another experiment showed mice recovering from the symptoms of

Parkinson's disease after being exposed to the nanostructures

developed in Stupp's laboratory.

A separate project helped mice injected with nanostructures and

proteins achieve recovery of heart function after an infarction.

" This research provides an early glimpse into the new and exciting

places where nanotechnology can take us, " said Rejeski, director

of the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, which released the report

" NanoFrontiers: Visions for the Future of Nanotechnology. "

Stupp said the use of nanotechnology treatments are unlikely to have

negative side effects because the materials " are made up of the things

you eat for breakfast. "

The researchers are also working on using nanotechnology to create a

type of " Trojan horse " to target specific cancer cells without some of

the ill effects of chemotherapy.

Nanotechnology has been an active topic for a number of years with

scientists using the tiny structures for improved computer chips,

solar heating panels and other devices based on nanometers, which is

one-billionth of a meter, or thousands of times thinner than a human hair.

Some market research reports an estimated 2.6 trillion dollars in

manufactured goods will incorporate nanotechnology globally by 2014.

The US government is spending an estimated one billion dollars on

nanotechnology research annually.

The use of nano materials however, has prompted some fears and

investigations into yet-unknown environmental and health effects. The

2003 Crichton novel " Prey " describes swarms of microscopic

machines from a nanotech lab that threaten the world.

The US Environmental Protection Agency said studying the safety of

nanotechnology is " one of the top research priorities " of the US

government.

Some products are already in use with nanotechnology such as suntan

lotion, protective coatings and stain-resistant clothing.

The EPA notes that such technology might " pose risks to human health

and other organisms due to their composition, reactivity, and unique

size. "

At the same time, the National Cancer Institute is spending 144

million dollars over five years to study how nanotechnology can

detect, monitor and treat cancer.

Stupp said much of the progress in medical applications for

nanotechnology depends on getting approval from the US Food and Drug

Administration.

But he said the Illinois-based university, which owns patents to some

technologies based on federally-funded research, has already begun to

license some patents to a new startup firm.