Submission + - Paralyzed Patients Could Learn To Walk Again With e-Dura Spinal Implant (hothardware.com)
MojoKid writes: For decades, one of the most-studied and elusive cures in medical science has been biotechnology that would allow humans to walk again after spinal cord trauma. Other prosthetic devices have advanced enormously over the last 50 years, thanks to the integration of miniaturized motors, space-age materials, and cutting edge fabrication, while repairing damage to the nervous system has advanced at a comparative snail's pace. Now, a group of researchers has demonstrated a new device that allows paralyzed rats to walk again, and they're hoping it can do the same for humans. The implant material, known as eDura, is built to allow the device to shift with the body's natural movement without causing abrasion. When a neuron in the central nervous system is damaged, the neuron's support cells (glia) move in. Astrocytes, one kind of glial cells, build up scar tissue around the damaged region to protect it from further damage. This combined formation is what's known as a glial scar. One of the complications that has prevented previous classes of implants from being effective long term, is that these same glial cells appear shortly after implants are inserted into patients. Devices may work in the short term, but in the long term the body takes action to isolate the implants and prevent them from functioning. What the e-Dura's manufacturers hypothesized was that it was the stiffness of the implants that caused neural damage that led to glial cell formation. Even partial success with eDura technology could be revolutionary for those living with paralysis.