Treatment in sight for spinal cord injuries

Researchers at the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI), the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) and the University of Melbourne have shown that blocking the action of the protein EphA4 rapidly restores balance and limb coordination in animal models with spinal injuries.

Professor Perry Bartlett, QBI Director and co-leader of the study, said the research confirmed and expanded on previous studies showing that the EphA4 antagonist prevented the loss of nerve tissue following injury and promoted repair.

In 1998, Professor Bartlett and QIMR Professor Andrew Boyd identified the role of EphA4. They showed that the EphA4 protein was critical to the development of the nerves that control walking and other complex muscle functions.

Subsequent studies showed that after a spinal cord injury, the production of the EphA4 protein increased and this protein acted to stop severed nerve endings from regrowing through the injury site.

Professor Boyd’s laboratory at QIMR, working with Professor Bartlett’s lab at UQ, then developed a protein antagonist to block or inhibit EphA4 function.

“That first discovery back in 1998 opened up a clear path to a potential treatment for any diseases or injuries involving motor nerves,” Professor Boyd said.

The idea is to use the antagonist treatment immediately after spinal cord injury to attempt to improve a patient’s recovery and functional outcomes.

“And as a neurologist or neurosurgeon will tell you, if you could improve function even marginally for a quadriplegic, you could make a massive difference to their life.”

The agent is well tolerated in animals and will move into clinical trials in humans.

The research was supported by funding from the Lisa Palmer Spinal Research Consortium and SpinalCure Australia.

The paper can be viewed in the online edition of Journal of Neurotrauma.