Nano Neuro Knitting, MIT creates material to stimulate brain healing

[HysteryDiagnosis]

http://techtv.mit.edu/videos/419-nano-neuro-knitting

Spinal cord injuries, serious stroke and severe traumatic brain injuries affect more than 5 million Americans at a total cost of $65 billion a year in treatment.

Rodents blinded by a severed tract in their brains' visual system had their sight partially restored within weeks, thanks to a tiny biodegradable scaffold invented by MIT bioengineers and neuroscientists.

This technique, which involves giving brain cells an internal matrix on which to regrow, just as ivy grows on a trellis, may one day help patients with traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and stroke.

The study, which will appear in the online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) the week of March 13-17, is the first that uses nanotechnology to repair and heal the brain and restore function of a damaged brain region.

Text by: Deborah Halber, MIT News Office

[lonestarnot]

1. Wow, someone has funding to do some worthwhile research?

K & R!

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. Amazing!

[originalpckelly]

3. Whenever I hear about something being published in PNAS...

I laugh, because I'm only 12 on the inside.