CHARLESTON, S.C., March 21 /PRNewswire/ — A multidisciplinary investigation led by Inderjit Singh, Ph.D, of the Medical University of South Carolina, has resulted in a new treatment of spinal cord injuries (SCI). The study investigates the efficacy of atorvastatin (AT), (i.e. Lipitor) as a treatment for spinal cord injuries following trauma. The study, to be published in the April edition of Journal of Neurochemistry, demonstrates that by using AT in treating spinal cord injuries after they have occurred, animal models with hind-limb paralysis showed significant Functional recovery and less secondary tissue damage. Scientists discovered that AT also protects the cells responsible for producing Myelin, which insulates nerves, in the spinal cord. This discovery of post-injury AT treatment could become valuable in preserving neurological function and movement following spinal cord injuries. Continue Reading »

Apogenix GmbH, of Hamburg, Germany has won €900,000 from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the ministry’s programme of support for innovative molecular and cellular-based therapies.

The funds will be used to study Apogenix’s lead candidate APG101 in the treatment of spinal cord injuries. At the same time the company’s academic collaborator, Ana Martin-Villalba, of the Molecular Neurobiology group at the German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ) was awarded a further €600,000 by the ministry. Continue Reading »

Neshoba County’s Nathan Commer may have been seriously injured in an ATV race in Argentina on Feb. 25, but it was the trip back to the United States that nearly killed him.

Commer, a resident of the Arlington community, has been racing on the ATV Nationals circuit for three years and is one of the rising stars in the sport, winning three national championships in different divisions. But that’s on hold for now as he is recovering in a hospital in Atlanta from a spinal cord injury he suffered last month. Continue Reading »