Working to Heal Nerve Damage
(From ScienceDaily). Scientists are making progress in the basics of nerve regeneration, even as other areas of regenerative medicine are racing ahead. With a technique similar to the artificial scaffolds used to grow bone, researchers have successfully regrown nerve cells. A quote: "We have shown that our scaffold selectively and rapidly directs cell differentiation, driving neural progenitor cells to become neurons." This lays the practical foundation for therapies that will repair a range of nerve damage, such as spinal injuries and paralysis.
Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/01/040123001131.htm