Injection of "dancing molecules" gets paralyzed mice walking in 4 weeks

Spinal cord injuries are among the most debilitating. In a new breakthrough study, Northwestern University researchers have developed a gel containing “dancing molecules” that allowed paralyzed mice to walk again four weeks after a single injection.

The new study reports a breakthrough therapy which, the team says, was able to repair the damage in five main ways. It regenerated axons, significantly reduced scar tissue formation, replenished the insulating myelin layer around axons, increased production of blood vessels, and increased the number of motor neurons that survived the injury.