Divers with spinal cord injuries caused by bubbles formed in a rapid ascent from depth could benefit from a new regenerative treatment under development in the US.

The problem with injuries to the spinal cord is that the long neuronal fibres involved have little opportunity to repair themselves, and their regrowth is hampered by the formation of scar tissue from the injury.

Scientists at the Institute for Bioengineering and Nanoscience in Advanced Medicine at Northwestern University, Chicago believe they have found a substance that will enhance the ability of damaged spinal cord fibres to repair themselves. IKVAV is a liquid derived from a naturally found protein, laminin, which has the ability to form into a gel when it comes in contact with water inside body tissues. This makes it easy to inject into the site of an injury, and the gel formed is actually a cluster of long, thin nanofibres.

This gel provides a structured medium for the regeneration of spinal cord neurones, and by stimulating the correct type of cells to repair the injury, it also inhibits the formation of astrocytes - cells which form scar tissue. The process has been compared to placing a scaffold at the microscopic site of injury, encouraging the cells to reconstruct the break.

Research by DAN showed that while 75% of divers with DCI make a complete recovery after treatment in a hyperbaric chamber, the remaining 25% are less fortunate. 20% of the divers with DCI are likely to make a more gradual recovery, possibly sustaining some long-term damage, and 5% have injuries which do not respond to hyperbaric treatment. It is these divers who may benefit from any progress in regenerative spinal cord treatments.


More links of interest
Report on DAN research


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