Spinal Cord Injury News and Research

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A spinal cord injury usually begins with a sudden, traumatic blow to the spine that fractures or dislocates vertebrae. The damage begins at the moment of injury when displaced bone fragments, disc material, or ligaments bruise or tear into spinal cord tissue. Most injuries to the spinal cord don't completely sever it. Instead, an injury is more likely to cause fractures and compression of the vertebrae, which then crush and destroy the axons, extensions of nerve cells that carry signals up and down the spinal cord between the brain and the rest of the body. An injury to the spinal cord can damage a few, many, or almost all of these axons. Some injuries will allow almost complete recovery. Others will result in complete paralysis.

Acorda third quarter GAAP net income increases to $18.9 million

Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. today announced its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2011.

4 Nov 2011

Zynex third quarter net revenues increase 42% to $9,427,000

Zynex, Inc., a provider and developer of non-invasive medical devices for electrotherapy and stroke rehabilitation, neurological diagnosis and cardiac monitoring, announces its third quarter 2011 financial results.

3 Nov 2011

Evidenced-based best practices can reduce healthcare associated infections

Healthcare associated infections, such as catheter related acute bloodstream infections (CLABSI) and ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP), significantly affect hospital morbidity and mortality but by developing evidenced-based, best practices, these occurrences can be minimized, according to research from surgeons at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

28 Oct 2011

Spinal cord meninges is a potential source of self-renewing stem cells

Italian and Spanish scientists studying the use of stem cells for treating spinal cord injuries have provided the first evidence to show that meninges, the membrane which envelops the central nervous system, is a potential source of self-renewing stem cells.

28 Oct 2011

NIDRR selects BMC as Spinal Cord Injury Model System site

The New England Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center at Boston Medical Center (BMC) has been selected as a Spinal Cord Injury Model System (SCIMS) by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.

28 Oct 2011

Religion/spirituality may help buffer negative consequences of chronic health conditions

Individuals who practice religion and spirituality report better physical and mental health than those who do not. To better understand this relationship and how spirituality/religion can be used for coping with significant health issues, University of Missouri researchers are examining what aspects of religion are most beneficial and for what populations.

27 Oct 2011

FDA approves intraspinal injections in spinal cord stem cell ALS trial

Neuralstem, Inc. updated the progress of its ongoing Phase I safety trial of the company's spinal cord stem cells in the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

24 Oct 2011

Zynex ranked 127th on Deloitte's 2011 Technology Fast 500 list

24 Oct 2011

HMS, EPFL to collaborate on 6 pioneering neuroengineering projects

Two of the world's leading universities are joining forces to combine neuroscience and engineering in order to alleviate human suffering caused by such neurological disabilities as paralysis and deafness. Scientists, engineers, and clinicians at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Ecole Polytechnique F-d-rale de Lausanne (EPFL) will collaborate on six pioneering neuroengineering projects made possible thanks to a $3.6 million grant from the Bertarelli Foundation.

24 Oct 2011

SCI patients with autonomic dysfunction more likely to develop heart disease

New research from the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation may help explain why people with spinal cord injury (SCI) have a higher risk of developing heart disease.

24 Oct 2011

Geron announces data from ongoing GRNOPC1 Phase 1 trial on spinal cord injury

Geron Corporation today announced two presentations on the company's ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial of its human embryonic stem cell-based therapy, GRNOPC1, in patients with spinal cord injury.

21 Oct 2011

UofL, Frazier Rehab to establish Spinal Cord Injury Model System

The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) of the U.S. Department of Education has awarded researchers at Frazier Rehab Institute and the University of Louisville $2.2 million for five years to establish a Spinal Cord Injury Model System.

20 Oct 2011

Micro-electrical stimulators for spinal cord injuries

A new wireless device to help victims of spinal cord injury is receiving attention in the research community. Mesut Sahin, PhD, associate professor, in the department of biomedical engineering at NJIT, recently has published and presented news of his findings to develop micro-electrical stimulators for individuals with spinal cord injuries.

18 Oct 2011

Compelling Hope Symposium to explore new approaches for nerve and paralysis injury

Located at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, New Jersey, the Center for Treatment of Paralysis and Reconstructive Nerve Surgery will host the second annual Compelling Hope Symposium on Saturday, November 5th at the Heldrich Hotel in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

14 Oct 2011

UPC develops active knee-ankle orthosis to assist gait in people with incomplete SCI

A team from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Biomedical Engineering Research Centre (CREB) of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. BarcelonaTech (UPC) has developed an active knee-ankle orthosis to assist gait in people with incomplete spinal cord injury. The project is being carried out in collaboration with the University of A Coruña and the University of Extremadura.

12 Oct 2011

Aspirin desensitization procedure can benefit patients with sinusitis, asthma and AERD

Beth Moore can now keep up with her children. The suburban Philadelphia mother of two had suffered from allergies and chronic sinusitis since her teens. With age her symptoms became more severe, turning into bronchitis and eventually asthma, diminishing her ability to breathe and sapping her of her energy. The only complete relief came from aspirin; and the aspirin desensitization that allowed her to overcome her aspirin allergy and end her decades-long battle with sinusitis.

11 Oct 2011

The paralyzed could walk again with a “prosthetic exoskeleton”

The team claims that they have cleared a hurdle to the construction of a prosthetic suit that will enable the paralyzed to walk, as well as restore their sense of touch. They are working towards the opening day of the 2014 World Cup soccer tournament in Brazil when they hope to send in a young quadriplegic striding out to playing fields to open the games.

9 Oct 2011

Acetyl-L-carnitine likely to improve outcomes and recovery for individuals with SCI

A commonly used supplement is likely to improve outcomes and recovery for individuals who sustain a spinal cord injury (SCI), according to research conducted by University of Kentucky neuroscientists.

29 Sep 2011

SanBio initiates SB623 Phase 1/2a clinical trial in ischemic stroke

SanBio, Inc. has announced that a patient at Stanford University Medical Center has become the first to be treated with SB623, a novel cell therapy for patients with disability resulting from ischemic stroke.

29 Sep 2011

Research highlights health care disparities in patients with spinal cord injury

Several studies in the current issue of Topics of Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation put a needed spotlight on the health and health care disparities experienced by individuals with spinal cord injury. This research highlights the disparities in access for patients and lack of awareness about SCI by health care providers.

26 Sep 2011