A new method for the treatment of paralysis and spinal cord injuries has been developed by scientists from Northwestern University in the United States. It is based on peptide supramolecular polymers. The article on the unique therapy was published in the journal Science. In their experiment, the specialists injected mice with a protein scaffold in a liquid state. Immediately after administration, the drug was transformed into a gel of nanofibers, copying the extracellular matrix of the spinal cord – both its structure and signals to the receptors.
“A key innovation in our study that has never been used before. is the ability to control the movement of more than 100,000 molecules in nanofibers, “said study leader Prof. Samuel Stup. This, according to the researchers, allows the molecules to bind better to the receptors. Once they do this, the molecules send two signals. One of them starts the process of regeneration of axons – outgrowths of neurons through which nerve impulses flow. The second contributes to the proliferation of other cell types and in particular to the repair of blood vessels that feed neurons, as well as the formation of myelin – the sheath of nerve fibers. As a result, with the help of therapy, the scientists were able to cure severe paralysis of the lower extremities in four weeks. “Our synthetic signaling molecules are short, modified peptides that can (…) survive for weeks to stimulate bioactivity,” said Zaida Alvarez, one of the study’s authors. The scientists hope that the therapy they have developed will be used in the future not only to treat paralysis, but also for neurodegenerative diseases.
