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New study: Growth factors that work in rodents also work in primates

Posted by: Reeve Research with Doug
Thursday, 29 July 2010

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In rodent models, the distance from a cervical spinal injury to the brain cortex is about 3 cm; in the rhesus monkey that distance is 10 cm and in humans it's 25 cm. Any treatment that is effective in a rodent model of spinal cord injury will need to travel longer distances in primates or humans to be effective.

In this study, Tuszynski and colleagues explored whether an effective rodent treatment (neurotrophic factors administered to the injury site to limit damage to the nerve cells and promote axon regeneration) would also work in primates - that is, would the regenerating axons traverse the longer distance.

Their findings show that the neurotrophic factors (also called growth factors) were effective in the primate, helping to reduce injury-related cellular degeneration and support regenerating axons.

Get more information about SCI research.

Douglas S. Landsman, Ph.D.
Director, Individual Research Grants Program
Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation

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Categories: Research, Resource Center