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In a mouse model, a new approach has led to the formation of new neural connections in the injured spinal cord, partially restoring lost function. However, further steps and studies are needed before potential treatments can be developed for humans/publication in “Neurobiology of Disease”
Spinal cord injuries typically result in permanent paralysis and loss of sensation, posing significant challenges for those affected and the healthcare system. In most cases, spinal cord injuries are contusion injuries, in which some of the fibers are damaged by compression while others remain intact. Currently available treatment approaches can only improve functional recovery to a limited extent.
A research group led by Professor Dr Dietmar Fischer from the Institute of Pharmacology II at University Hospital Cologne is therefore pursuing a new approach to treating such contusion injuries. The study “Transneuronal cytokine delivery promotes functional recovery across spinal cord contusion severities via descending circuit plasticity” will be published in the journal Neurobiology of Disease on 15 June 2026. It is already available online.
Using the protein hyper-interleukin-6 (hIL-6), which can bind directly to nerve cells, the researchers activated signaling pathways in both injured and uninjured nerve cells. What makes this approach unique is that hIL-6 is produced within the nerve cells themselves following the injection of a vector virus into the motor cortex. The motor cortex is a region of the brain responsible for planning, controlling, and executing movements. From there, IL-6 is transported along existing neural pathways, reaching key motor areas in deeper brain regions (the brainstem) that can be stimulated.
“Instead of relying solely on the regrowth of severed nerve fibers, we also make use of neural connections that have remained intact. Through the sprouting of collateral branches, these connections were able to form new connections, resulting in a significant restoration of function,” says Fischer.
In various mouse models of spinal cord contusion of varying severity, the treatment showed consistent effects: animals treated with hIL-6 showed significantly improved walking ability after paralysis compared with untreated control groups. Particularly noteworthy was the restoration of coordinated gait patterns, which was not observed in the control groups. The researchers also demonstrated that so-called serotonergic neurons, which originate in the brainstem, play a central role in the hIL-6-mediated restoration of function. When these cells were eliminated, the improvements achieved disappeared almost entirely.
“The treatment did not alter either the size of the injury or the extent of nerve cell loss. Rather, the functional improvements are due to new sprouting and a restructuring of existing neural networks,” said Fischer.
Although this new approach shows very promising results in mice with contusion injuries, the researchers emphasize that further steps and studies are necessary before it can be applied in humans. Questions that still need to be addressed include safety, optimal dosage, and potential side effects.
Professor Dr Dietmar Fischer
Center for Pharmacology, University Hospital Cologne, and Faculty of Medicine , University of Cologne
dietmar.fischer@uni-koeln.de
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969996126001440
Transduced nerve cells in the cerebral cortex that produce hIL-6, the synthetic protein which in tur ...
Copyright: Dietmar Fischer, Universität zu Köln
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Transduced nerve cells in the cerebral cortex that produce hIL-6, the synthetic protein which in tur ...
Copyright: Dietmar Fischer, Universität zu Köln
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