So far, the researchers have developed a therapy that might help paralyzed dogs to regain some of their lost functions. For them, it is another milestone achieved in their attempt to put an end to the sufferings of spinal cord injury victims.
The research was headed by Dr. Jonathan Levine and funded by a $900,000.00 grant from the Department of Defense (DOD) in hope of developing such therapy in dogs that could potentially be translated to humans.
The research team is currently testing a drug that that would block the protein enzymes that cause chemical changes in the body, which destroy the spinal cord after an injury.
In light of the said development, several paralyzed veterans affirmed that any progress will bring hope while some advocates said, “Anything to improve the quality of live that would be the best.” In fact, the Lone Star Chapter of Paralyzed Veterans of America’s executive director, Glendon Bentley, even called it the success of this research as “phenomenal.” “It would be phenomenal if this research led people who were paralyzed to possibly progress from a wheelchair to a walker or leg brace,” he said.
Meanwhile, a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer is pretty impressed with the excellent development. From his years of experience in handling spinal cord injury cases, he had witnessed how victims of the catastrophic injury suffered a great deal of pain not to mention its distressing effect to their lives. Thus, he believes that any possible development in their condition would indeed do a great job for them.
