Italian researchers have presented yesterday (25 January), a new type of prosthesis can cure chronic spinal cord injury. The micro-implants (or neuro-prostheses) in question is of biological nature, created thanks to modern techniques for nano technology.
The research team was coordinated by Dr. Fabrizio Gelain, researcher at the Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milan Bicocca, and Dr. Angelo Vescovi, director of both the House for the Relief of Suffering, and the Center for Nanomedicine and Engineering Fabrics Hospital Niguarda Ca ‘Granda, Milan. The search results will be published tomorrow in the journal ACS Nano American, among the world leaders in the field of nanotechnology.
Specifically, the device designed and synthesized by researchers in the laboratory, allows the transplant of a neuro-prosthesis which encourages the reproduction and regeneration of bone marrow and spinal nerve fibers. The device has the shape of a cylinder inside which there are biological materials and the structure of the outer cylinder is made of a material is completely absorbed by the body, once implanted, a task made possible by nanotechnology.
SCI transplants in animals have shown positive results, as was successfully reconstructed the spinal cord tissue. The coordinators of the study upon completion of the investigation said: “The results of the experiment represent the start of a new area of research to date, even conceivable, allowing the reconstruction of entire fragments of nervous tissue.”
Recall that in Italy there are about 100,000 people suffering from spinal cord injuries occur each year and an average increase of about 1,200 units. Thanks to this study greatly increases the chance of recovering from paralysis.
