Aussie researchers in promising spinal cord discovery

Researchers in Australia have made a promising antibody discovery which could reverse the damage caused by injury to the spinal cord.

Severe injury to the spinal cord prompts the body to produce an inflammatory response which often leads to scarring and permanent nerve damage. This lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) can cause several long-term affects for spinal injury patients, and often leads to a decrease in the quality of lives. Currently, there are no treatments to reverse this response.

But researchers at Monash University's Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI) and the Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA) have discovered a new antibody which could block the effects of lysophosphatidic acid. The antibody was created by the US therapeutic antibody company Lpath, and has been found to be successful in trials.

Reporting in the American Journal of Pathology, the scientists explain how a molecule is released in response to injury, with LPA promoting inflammation and nerve cell death. The research team, led by Yona Goldshmit of ARMI and Alice Pebay of CERA, found that if the antibody was administered soon after the injury, it was possible to preserve nerve cells and limit the amount of scarring, while substantially reducing the losses in motor function, according to an ARMI and CERA statement.

"By blocking the effects of LPA, we can help nerve cells survive a traumatic injury and this will hopefully lead to better outcomes for patients in the future," Ms Goldshmit said.

Ms Pebay, head of CERA's Neuroregeneration Unit, added that the study has great potential in the future for a pharmacological therapy for spinal cord injuries in humans.

"Perhaps this drug will one day be administered in the back of an ambulance, as the patient is being transported to hospital," she said.

This will be one of the key considerations to the drug's practicality, and further tests will be needed to measure how efficiently the treatment can be administered.

Posted by Ben Evans