12°c Light drizzle
17°c Mainly cloudy
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Research could overcome spinal-cord injuries
Christopher Reeve may well have benefited from the work being done in Israel. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES)
What's the most catastrophic illness that can befall us? To me it's a spinal-cord injury (SCI) that results in total paralysis. During a recent visit to Israel, I interviewed Dr. Shimon Rochkind, a world-renowned neurosurgeon at the Tel Aviv University Sourasky Medical Center and an expert on SCI.
Every year, 12,000 North Americans sustain spinal-cord injury. The people involved are usually under the age of 30 and 80 per cent are males. Some, like Christopher Reeve of Superman fame, fall from a horse. Others dive into shallow water or are involved in car accidents.
Rochkind has spent his life trying to accomplish what's said to be impossible. Time and time again, we've been told some tissues of the body can regenerate but never the spinal-cord. Christopher Reeve received the best treatment money can buy but he never walked again. What I witnessed in Rochkind's laboratory shows that what we've accepted as gospel for centuries is no longer true.
Rochkind first showed me video of a rat running around his cage. Later, he surgically removed half a centimetre (a quarter of an inch) of the rat's spinal-cord, which resulted in complete paralysis of the hind legs. Normally, without a complete spinal-cord the rat would never walk again.
But video taken several weeks later revealed the rat was now moving his legs. It was not doing so as perfectly as before, but good enough to get quickly around his cage.
So what had Dr. Rochkind done to partially reverse the paralysis? He had to overcome several problems: first, to bridge the gap between the severed nerve, then to nourish the nerve and stimulate its growth. Finally, to encourage the first step as one does with an infant.
The first solution was to develop what Rochkind calls a "genetically engineered implant," thousands of times more difficult than designing a hip replacement. This meant experimenting with several different types of tissue. One implant involved human spinal-cord cells. But a major advance was his eventual discovery it was possible to use cells taken from the lining of the adult human nose.
What tissue will be used in the final implant is unknown. But at the moment, it's composed of a highly complex assortment of hyaluronic acid, neuronal growth factor, antioxidants such as vitamin C and other ingredients. This mass of material is encompassed in a soft, biodegradable tube placed between the severed nerve endings. This acts as a scaffold for the implant.
Had he lived, would Reeve have walked again? Rochkind is convinced the possibility will happen in his lifetime. It may not be the perfect walk but patients with these injuries will not be immobilized for the rest of their lives.
Not all nerve injuries, however, are spinal-cord ones. For instance, some involve the peripheral nerves of the arm or legs. It's the type of injury that cripples thousands of soldiers fighting in Afghanistan and other war sites.
Rochkind's laboratory is making great advances with these injuries. The big problem has always been the rapid loss of muscle mass once a nerve is injured. After all, what's the use of regenerating the nerve if there's no muscle tissue left to function?
For these peripheral injuries, Rochkind is using laser phototherapy, which provides an immediate protective effect. This therapy not only helps to prevent muscle loss but also helps to regenerate nerves and aids in restoring muscle mass. Laser therapy is given two hours a day for 21 days. The sooner it is started, the better the results.
I left Israel impressed and amazed at how this tiny country with no natural resources, fighting for its very existence since 1948, could accomplish so much in research. I'd predict Dr. Rochkind's innovative work is headed for a Nobel Prize in medicine.
info@docgiff.com
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 27, 2011 A1
More Your Health
- Back to Top
- Return to Your Health
More Your Health
(1 of 5 articles for today)
Health Highlights: May 25, 2013
9:00 AM 0Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
'Nanoparticle' Flu Vaccine ...
Poll
Most Popular Your Health
- PC white grape juice recalled nationally over undeclared sulphites
- Toxic drug that was abandoned in development offered for sale online to athletes
- CT-scans: weigh negative and positive effects
- Baker's cyst A sign of something else
- Vitamin C and lysine proven to keep arteries healthy
- Vet to deliver birth control for stray dogs in Labrador Innu communities
- Adrenal fatigue can have significant impact
- Habit reforming
- H7N9 virus closer to being human transmissible than other bird flu viruses
- Canada lifts lifetime ban on gay men giving blood, but some restrictions remain
- Smoke sales forbidden at pharmacies, health facilities starting May 31
- Canada lifts lifetime ban on gay men giving blood, but some restrictions remain
- Skin picking gets status as distinct disorder, should help sufferers access help
- Over one million affected by boil-water advisory in Montreal
- New Brunswick discouraging new family doctors from practising: medical residents
- Measles outbreaks flourish in UK years after discredited research tied measles shot to autism
- Baker's cyst A sign of something else
- Three companies recall antipsychotic drug quetiapine: Health Canada says
- Vitamin C and lysine proven to keep arteries healthy
- CT-scans: weigh negative and positive effects
- Baby delivery: safe haven baby drop-off sites open in Edmonton hospitals
- Boston Marathon bombing victims face huge medical bills; tens of millions in donations pour in
- Angelina Jolie's double mastectomy: Q&A
- Smoke sales forbidden at pharmacies, health facilities starting May 31
- Pharmacy assistant who found diluted cancer drugs says label raised questions
- Vitamin C and lysine proven to keep arteries healthy
- Auditor general takes aim at residential schools, diabetes prevention
- Baker's cyst A sign of something else
- Hockey commentator Kelly Hrudey shares daughter's struggle with mental illness
- Biomedical engineer designs exercises, tests to battle Alzheimer's
- Vitamin C and lysine proven to keep arteries healthy
- Adrenal fatigue can have significant impact
- CT-scans: weigh negative and positive effects
- Canada lifts lifetime ban on gay men giving blood, but some restrictions remain
- Vitamin C and lysine proven to keep arteries healthy
- Skin picking gets status as distinct disorder, should help sufferers access help
- Adrenal fatigue can have significant impact
- CT-scans: weigh negative and positive effects
- Canadian dies with aid of doctor in Zurich; wished it could have been in Canada
- Avoid herpes -- make love like a porcupine
- Three companies recall antipsychotic drug quetiapine: Health Canada says
- Measles outbreaks flourish in UK years after discredited research tied measles shot to autism
- Avoid allergen triggers to keep guests safe when barbecuing this summer
- Vitamin C and lysine proven to keep arteries healthy
- Biomedical engineer designs exercises, tests to battle Alzheimer's
- Adrenal fatigue can have significant impact
- Kidney problems price we pay for progress
- Natural medicine best for lowering cholesterol
- Canada lifts lifetime ban on gay men giving blood, but some restrictions remain
- Hockey commentator Kelly Hrudey shares daughter's struggle with mental illness
- Skin picking gets status as distinct disorder, should help sufferers access help
- Knee repair? Study finds physical therapy as good as surgery for torn cartilage, arthritis
- Canadian dies with aid of doctor in Zurich; wished it could have been in Canada
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.