Because of legal restrictions, MOMSCIS cannot give specific medical advice. The following information is not a substitute for the personal care or advice of your physician. Please discuss any concerns with your physician regarding your medical care. Physicians in the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Department at the University of Missouri-Columbia are available to evaluate patient records, and can set up a clinic visit for a medical evaluation. The PM&R Department does extensive treatment of individuals with spinal cord injuries using a wide variety of physical therapies and state-of-the-art medications. Individuals with spinal cord injuries can be examined and treated on an outpatient or inpatient basis. For more information about the PM&R services available or to schedule a clinic visit, telephone the clinic at (573) 884-0033.

Studies on SCI drug treatments

Q. Can you tell me more about drugs that show promise for curing spinal cord injury and what the future holds?

A. There are several treatments being studied to help improve neurologic functioning after spinal cord injury. For example, a cancer drug also shows promise for treating spinal cord injuries.

In an October 1998 study at Vanderbilt University, the drug called CM101 was given to mice one hour after the spinal cord injury was inflicted. Of 26 mice with spinal cord injuries, 24 recovered the ability to walk within 12 days after treatment with the drug. By comparison, 14 mice that did not receive the CM101 teatment did not recover the ability to walk and the majority of these mice died.

It is important to note that although studies such as this are promising, much research still needs to be done. Experimental studies on animals do not ensure a drug will be effective for treating SCI in humans. Also, the medication in this study was given exactly one hour after the injury - a pre-determined time frame necessary for the drug to have an effect. In most cases, it is very unlikely that a person would be in a position to receive a treatment within an hour after receiving a traumatic spinal cord injury.

On the positive side, this study sheds light on how medications such as CM101 enable recovery from initial traumatic neurologic damage and will aid in developing other promising medications that have a wider time frame in which they can be administered.

Other research focuses on individuals with older injuries. Some studies look at speeding nerve impulses and thus improving nerve function. Other studies examine the possibility of stimulating certain nerve cells to actually grow and replace the lost nerve function that has occured because of the spinal cord injury. These studies have shown limited success and results are varied.

The model spinal cord injury system program is designed to develop techniques and treatments to help individuals with spinal cord injury enjoy as healthly, independent, complication-free lives as possible. Although some model centers' studies examine possible cures for SCI, the Missouri Model Spinal Cord Injury System mission is to improve life-long functional outcomes for individuals with spinal cord injuries.