Paralyzed Dogs Walks Again: Cambridge University Scientists Inject Cells, May Aid Humans One Day

Cambridge University scientists have discovered a way to restore mobility in paralyzed dogs in the U.K.. Scientist hope that the procedure used to help man's best friend to walk again would help humans someday.

The experiment was performed on 23 dogs that sustained spinal injuries by the U.K. Medical Research Council's Regenerative Medicine Centre and Cambridge University's Veterinary School. The scientist injected cells grown from the nasal passages of healthy dogs into the dog's spines. No improvements have been shown in 11 dogs that were injected a neutral control substance, however many of the 23 dogs were able to walk on a treadmill with a harness.

According to the BBC,  regeneration biologist Professor Robin Franklin said, "Our findings are extremely exciting, because they show for the first time that transplanting these types of cell into a severely damaged spinal cord can bring about significant improvement."  The Wellcome Trust-MRC Stem Cell Institute biologist added, "We're confident that the technique might be able to restore at least a small amount of movement in human patients with spinal cord injuries, but that's a long way from saying they might be able to regain all lost function."

Although, the new findings have been remarkable, scientist say the nerve fiber only stretched a short distance, which questions if it will be work within humans. Prof. Geoffrey Raisman, chair of Neural Regeneration at University College London said, "This is not a cure for spinal cord injury in humans - that could still be a long way off," he told BBC, "But this is the most encouraging advance for some years and is a significant step on the road towards it."