Spinal Cord Injury Research: Interview with Prof James Fawcett

0:12 How did you become involved with spinal cord injury research?
0:33 How did you get involved with spinal research the charity?
1:10 What did spinal cord injury research look like in the 90s?
1:19 Discovery of Nogo and Anti-Nogo by Martin Schwab in Zurich - Nogo prevents regrowth of the neurons. Antibodies to Nogo (Anti-Nogo) can bind to Nogo and block this prevention of growth thus promoting the regrowth of neurons damaged in a spinal cord injury.
Read about Martin Schwab and his research interests: www.hifo.uzh.ch/en/research/P...
1:27 Transplanting olfactory glial cells - Olfactory glial cells naturally exist to support neuron growth in the human olfactory (smell) system.
1:59 Plasticity in the Extracellular Matrix
The extracellular matrix is the mixture of molecules that exist between the cells in our body.
Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans are one of the molecules present in the extracellular matrix.
They prevent nerve cells from forming new connections (the ability of neurons to form these new connections is known as plasticity)
Increasing plasticity in these cells could allow the spinal cord to rewire after an SCI
Our neuroplasticity research: spinal-research.org/neuroplas...
2:40 The human evolution challenge
3:28 What breakthroughs have been made in the last 20 years?
3:36 Regeneration treatments:
Anti-Nogo see above.
Chondroitinase is an enzyme that breaks down Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans. Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans prevent plasticity and regeneration (see above) thus breaking them down can promote neuron regeneration after a spinal cord injury.
RGMα prevents the growth of neurons. After a spinal cord injury the body naturally increases RGMα preventing regeneration and limiting recovery. Treatments have looked at blocking this molecule with antibodies to promote regeneration and recovery.
4:30 Plasticity
4:54 Stimulation
Our electrical stimulation research: spinal-research.org/neuromodu...
Our bladder, bowel and sexual function research: spinal-research.org/bladder-b...
5:10 Stem Cell Transplantation
5:15 Sensory Fibre regeneration
The sensory nervous system relays messages from the body to the brain, sensory fibres are responsible for vision, hearing, touch, taste, smell and balance.
The motor nervous system relays messages from the brain to the body - these support motor functions i.e., moving.
Traditionally lots of spinal cord injury research has focused on motor function.
6:29 The main frustrations as a spinal cord injury researcher?
7:03 A message for the SCI community.
8:30 What’s next for you?

[@kishanthakar9560]

All. The very best from frustrated 19 years old spinal cord injured patient

[@MichaelLeightonsKarlyPilkboys]

Hope you're doing OK

[@raghavendramagalam8289]

Why he didn't talk on dancing molecules by sameul stupp from North Western University

[@Tarun_Sharma91]

Do something for us. I am also a spinal cord injury patient.. life is very frustrated right now

[@navinranabhat8185]

we wanna go for a long walk after spinal cord complete injury we want promising successful treatment available for us give us treatment or death instead of life God grant us