Purdue University Researchers Reverse
Paralysis
                               in Dogs With Chemical Treatment for Spinal
Cords

                                      PHOTO

                               Seven year-old dachshund Oscar outside of
his
                               Boonville, Ind. home Friday Dec. 3, 2004. In
                               Oct. of 2001Oscars owner Dan Paulin took
Oscar
                               to Purdue Universitys School of Veterinary
                               Medicine in West Lafayette, Ind. for
                               experimental treatment for spinal paralysis
with
                               polyethylene glycol called PEG. Now three
years
                               later Oscar is walking on his own. (Photo/
                               Daniel R. Patmore)

                               12-03-2004 7:16 PM
                               By RICK CALLAHAN

                               INDIANAPOLIS --  Dogs with paralyzed hind
legs
                               regained the ability to walk after getting a
                               shot of a chemical cousin of antifreeze that
                               helped repair nerve cells in their damaged
                               spinal cords, scientists reported.
                               Purdue University researchers who led the
                               project hope the approach can soon be tried
in
                               people, but caution that there are
significant
                               differences between human and canine spinal
                               cords.

                               The treatment only worked on dogs given the
                               injections within about three days of their
                               injury. Some dogs not given the injections
                               eventually walked again, but those getting
the
                               new treatment had a dramatically higher
recovery
                               rate.

                               In one case, a dachshund named Oscar was
                               initially sent home with a wheel cart and
little
                               hope of recovery after a serious injury.
                               Soon after the dog got the chemical
treatment,
                               he began walking, although his back legs
work in
                               unison, giving him an unusual gait.

                               "I used to make fun of him, saying he walks
like
                               a drunken sailor," said Oscar's owner, Dan
                               Paulin of Boonville, Ind. "I don't think
he'll
                               ever be normal, but at least he's not
confined
                               to the wheel cart."

                               In the study, 19 paraplegic dogs were
injected
                               with polyethylene glycol, or PEG _ a
nontoxic
                               liquid polymer composed of long strings of
the
                               same type of molecules found in antifreeze.

                               Within eight weeks, 13 of the 19 canines,
about
                               68 percent, regained the use of their hind
legs
                               and were able to walk, some almost as well
as
                               before their injury.

                               The dogs were injected twice with PEG, first
                               soon after their owners brought them to the
                               researchers' labs and then after standard
                               surgery and steroids to reduce inflammation.

                               Among a group of 24 dogs that received just
the
                               standard surgery and rehabilitation
therapies,
                               only about 25 percent regained the same
level of
                               mobility, feeling and bodily functions, with
                               about 62 percent remaining paraplegic.

                               The study's findings appear in the December
                               issue of the Journal of Neurotrauma.

                               Scientists at Purdue, Indiana University's
                               Indianapolis campus and Texas A&M University
                               took part in the research on dogs ages 2 to
8
                               between 2001-03.

                               Richard Borgens, the Purdue professor of
                               neuroscience who oversaw the study, said his
                               West Lafayette, Ind., lab had previously
used
                               PEG to repair damaged spinal cords in guinea
                               pigs with about a 90 percent success rate.

                               His team has even fused severed guinea pig
                               spinal cords using PEG, although the dogs in
the
                               study had spinal disc ruptures that crushed,
but
                               did not sever, their spinal cords.

                               Although exactly how PEG works remains
unclear,
                               Borgens said it appears to act as a sort of
                               "molecular Band-Aid" that forms a temporary
seal
                               over breaches in nerve cells in the spinal
cord,
                               aiding their healing process.

                               "This stuff is kind of like a radiator
stop-leak
                               for the nervous system. The polymer spreads
out
                               and forms a seal over the damaged areas in
the
                               nerve cells and allows the membrane below to
                               reconstruct itself," said Borgens, director
of
                               Purdue's Center for Paralysis Research.

                               He said PEG also appears to prevent
secondary
                               tissue death that often causes more damage
than
                               the original injury. Borgens said the agent
only
                               covers damaged cells and tissues when
injected
                               into the blood stream.

                               Purdue has enlisted a yet-to-be-announced
                               corporate sponsor that will make PEG in a
form
                               suitable for human clinical trials. Pending
                               federal approval, Borgens hopes those trials
can
                               begin within about 18 months on people with
                               hours-old or days-old spinal injuries.

                               W. Dalton Dietrich, the scientific director
of

                               The Miami Project To Cure Paralysis, said
the
                               rapid improvements in the dogs are
intriguing,
                               but point to the need for follow-up work to
                               learn more about how PEG works and evaluate
its
                               safety. "Although the results are very
                               provocative, additional studies are
required,"
                               he said.

                               Karen Kline, an associate professor of
neurology
                               and neurosurgery at Iowa State University's
                               College of Veterinary Medicine in Ames,
Iowa,
                               called the findings promising. She said PEG,
                               which she plans to test on dogs at her lab,
                               appears to stabilize damaged tissue to allow
                               more rapid healing than typically occurs
                               naturally.

                               "It has such promise, but I think we need to
                               look at more animals and make sure that
we're
                               getting a positive outcome," Kline said.
                               __
                               On the Net:
                               Purdue Center for Paralysis Research:
                               http://www.vet.purdue.edu/cpr/