Researchers from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland may have discovered a way to regenerate nerves in spinal cord injuries, according to ZME Science.
The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, administered a hydrogel treatment to rats with spinal cord injuries, which greatly improved axonal outgrowth across the lesions.
Hydrogel features a soluble agonist called S-220 that triggers a molecule called Epac2, which experts believe is involved in nerve growth during embryonic development
The hydrogel provides a scaffold that supports injured nerve cells during the regeneration process and led to a significant improvement in the rats' ability to walk.