A molecule that helps broken spinal cords to heal has been identified by British scientists.
The discovery of the neuregulin-1 signalling molecule could one day lead to new therapies that aid the self-repair of spinal cords, say the researchers.
Such treatments could potentially restore movement and sensation to people paralysed by devastating spinal injuries.
The research also raises hopes of finding new ways to tackle multiple sclerosis (MS).
Elizabeth Bradbury, from King’s College London, who co-led the team, said: “Spinal cord injury could happen to anyone, at any time. In an instant your life could change and you could lose all feeling and function below the level of the injury.
“Existing treatments are largely ineffective, so there is a pressing need for new regenerative therapies to repair tissue damage and restore function after spinal cord injury.
The research also raises hopes of finding new ways to tackle multiple sclerosis (MS)
“These new findings advance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms which may orchestrate the body’s remarkable capacity for natural repair.
“By enhancing this spontaneous response, we may be able to significantly improve spinal cord function after injury.”
Each year more than 130,000 people in the UK suffer a severely damaged spinal cord, mainly as a result of road accidents, accidents, falls or sporting injuries.
It was once thought severed spinal nerves could never be fixed. Now it is known that the central nervous system does possess some limited capacity to repair itself naturally.
The new research identified one of nature’s spinal repair tools, neuregulin-1, which sends signals from the surfaces of damaged nerve fibres.
It plays a vital role in “spontaneous remyelination” after an injury which rebuilds the protective myelin sheath surrounding nerve fibres.
Without myelin, coherent nerve signals cannot be transmitted along the spinal cord.
Tests on mice showed that neuregulin-1 also acted as a molecular switch, causing cells within the spinal cord to acquire their own remyelinating capacity.
Katalin Bartus, also from King’s College London, said: “We hope this work will provide a platform for future research, in which it will be important to test how enhancing levels of neuregulin-1 will improve functional outcome after spinal cord injury.”
The research, conducted by teams at King’s College and Oxford University, is published in the journal Brain.