Presently, there are no effective therapies for spinal cord damage. Physical therapy can help patients regain some movement, but the outcomes are heavily limited in severe cases due to the inability of spinal neurons to repair organically after injury.

However, in a study published in the journal PLOS Biology, Simone Di Giovanni and his research team at Imperial College London (United Kingdom) have looked to change this roadblock. The team displayed how weekly treatments that contain an epigenetic activator can help the regeneration of motor and sensory neurons in the spinal cord, when administered to mice 12 weeks after a serious injury.

Using a small molecule known asTTK21, theresearchers were able to trigger genetic programming that stimulates axon regeneration in neurons. TTK21 affects gene epigenetics via activating the CBP/p300 family of coactivator proteins.

TTK21 therapy was investigated in micemodels where the specimen had experiencedsevere spinal cord damage. The mice were raised in an enriching environment that allowed them to be physically active, as is recommended for human patients.

The treatment started 12 weeks after the severe spinal cord damage and lasted 10 weeks. Researchers discovered numerous improvements following TTK21 therapy when compared to the control treatment. Increased neuron sprouting in the spinal cord was the most noticeable effect. The researchers additionally found that motor axon retraction above the site of injury stopped and sensory axon development sharply increased. These changes were most likely caused by the observed increase in gene expression associated with regeneration. The next stage will be to further increase these effects to stimulate the regenerated axons to reconnect with the rest of the nervous system, so that the mice regain the capability to may move freely again.

Di Giovanni goes on to emphasize, This work shows that a drug called TTK21 that is administered systemically once/week after a chronic spinal cord injury 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 spinal cord injury patients.

Press release:https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/964425

See more here:
Epigenetic therapy promotes spinal cord regeneration in mice following injury - RegMedNet

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