Epigenetic Treatment Can Help the Spinal Cord Regenerate After Injury
Currently, there are no effective therapies for spinal cord damage; physical therapy may help patients recover some movement, but the results are severely limited in severe cases due to the inability of spinal neurons to regenerate naturally after injury.
However, in a study that was recently published in PLOS Biology, scientists demonstrate that when given to mice 12 weeks after a serious injury, weekly treatments with an epigenetic activator can encourage the regrowth of sensory and motor neurons in the spinal cord.
the researchers utilized a tiny molecule called TTK21 to activate genetic programming that induces axon regeneration in neurons. TTK21 affects the epigenetic state of genes by activating the CBP/p300 family of coactivator proteins. The treatment started 12 weeks after the severe spinal cord injury and lasted 10 weeks. The most apparent effect was increased axon sprouting in the spinal cord.
Di Giovanni adds, “This work shows that a drug called TTK21 that is administered systemically once/week after a chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) in animals can promote neuronal regrowth and an increase in synapses that are needed for neuronal transmission. This is important because chronic spinal cord injury is a condition without a cure where neuronal regrowth and repair fail. We are now exploring the combination of this drug with strategies that bridge the spinal cord gap such as biomaterials as possible avenues to improve disability in SCI patients.”
https://scitechdaily.com/epigenetic-treatment-can-help-the-spinal-cord-regenerate-after-injury/
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