Here at Foresight we have members with paraplegia and at least one with quadraplegia — it would be great if nanotechnology could help. Advanced nanotech should have cell repair abilities, but what can be done sooner? Medical News Today reports on promising current research:
The ability to regenerate nerve cells in the body could reduce the effects of trauma and disease in a dramatic way. In two presentations at the NSTI Nanotech 2007 Conference, researchers describe the use of nanotechnology to enhance the regeneration of nerve cells. In the first method, developed at the University of Miami, researchers show how magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) may be used to create mechanical tension that stimulates the growth and elongation of axons of the central nervous system neurons. The second method from the University of California, Berkeley uses aligned nanofibers containing one or more growth factors to provide a bioactive matrix where nerve cells can regrow.
Some of this technology has been licensed to NanoNerve, which doesn’t appear to have its own website yet. —Christine
