Whether one suffers a traumatic brain injury or a spinal cord injury, stimulation is often one of the keys of recovery. Bioness has developed knee braces that provide direct electronic stimulation of specific nerves and muscles in the legs. Keeping those signals flowing allows muscles to develop while also strengthening existing neural pathways and/or creating… Read More
Geron Receives $1.5M for Stem Cell Research
Geron Corporation, who we mentioned in a previous article, has just received a payment of $1.5 million from Exeter Life Sciences, Inc as part of a joint effort between the companies to continue further stem cell research. Geron is expected to be the first US company to complete human stem cell trials for the treatment… Read More
FDA Discussing Stem Cells
The FDA is finally taking the first steps toward human trials of embryonic stem cell treatments. They held conferences Thursday and Friday to discuss creating a blueprint for the system. Apparently, their main concern is possible side-effects of the treatments, chiefly the long-term risk of tumors. Geron (http://www.geron.com/) was to submit the first proposal for… Read More
The Importance of Art
According to Bill Richards, founder of The Art Studio at the Northeast Center for Special Care, the process of creating art can have a very profound effect on our lives. Since opening the studio nine years ago, Richards has seen the lives of many traumatic brain injury survivors changed by the simple process of painting… Read More
Congress to be Briefed on Cethrin® Trial
From the article: Alseres Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that on April 15, 2008, Dr. Mark Hurtt, Chief Medical Officer, will discuss the CETHRIN development program as a member of an expert panel on Spinal Cord Injury Research during a congressional briefing on Capitol Hill focused on “Rapid Advancements in Paralysis Research.” In addition, Dr. Hurtt will… Read More
Hypothermia Lowers Paralysis Risk?
As we reported in an early article about Promising SCI Studies, one of the major barriers to proper spinal cord healing is the formation of scar tissue in reaction to the injury. It turns out, hypothermia therapy, which had been regarded as a possible immediate treatment for traumatic brain injury, may also be of use… Read More