In most cases, new neurons (mature nerve cells) will have to be grown to replace those lost due to injury. This is where stem cells are a very promising answer to this part of the puzzle and we have always been a leader in applying them to spinal cord injury.

There are many types of stem cells being tried in this application. Our successful cure treatment used a combination of LP/OECs and Schwann cells as a part of our cell transplant. These cells seem to be a mutually supportive mixture that enhances the regenerative properties of both.

One of the biggest problems
that must be faced if you are going to deal with the chronic injury is that of getting rid of the scar tissue that forms on the damaged spinal cord. Neurons can’t grow through this scar tissue so it is essential to remove it without doing further damage. Of the few places that are even dealing with the scar problem, most are just cutting it away with a scalpel. The problem is, that is akin to using a jack-hammer to clean your teeth. A much more refined method will have to be found.

After injury, the body makes an unsuccessful attempt to cure the spinal cord. Much work has been done to identify and manipulate the growth factors involved in this attempt.

In addition, after injury the spinal cord is flooded with molecules which inhibit nerve growth, which is what prevents this cure attempt from being successful. Thus, it will also be necessary to identify these inhibitors and find ways to suppress them.

We have developed a unique electrical stimulation therapy tool called TANES. This stimulation is applied externally and activates the central pattern generator in the spinal cord, thus producing a very robust walking motion. On it's own, TANES produces a remarkable, but temporary, ability to walk. But the addition of this therapy to our cure treatment has delivered a significant, and permanent,
return of function.

Our goal is to design all our treatments so they can be delivered as non-invasively as possible. Ideally, all treatments will eventually be delivered by injection directly to the injury site through a small probe. This will reduce or eliminate much of the costly, and possibly even dangerous, surgery that is the norm in other current cure trials. This will lead to a cure which should be cheaper, safer, more effective and quicker to recover from than what many people are contemplating today.