In what could pave the way towards a new treatment for nerve cell regeneration after spinal cord injuries, researchers claim the cancer drug Taxol, has the potential to repair damaged nerve membranes of the spinal region and restore their ability to transmit signals to the brain.
After spinal cord injuries, many factors halt the regeneration of nerve cells, which are networks of neurons in the spinal region that are thought to produce an automatic walking motion.
According to experts, re-growth of nerve cells, known as axons is halted because of the formation of scar tissue and the blockage of microtubules, small protein tubes in the cell cytoskeleton.
The researchers found that the drug Taxol when given to rats with spinal injury targeted the damaged sensory neurons.
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