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''These research results are exciting in that they demonstrate a novel post-trauma strategy in the form of a safe, FDA-approved drug that could serve as a prototype drug for developing better therapeutic strategies to improve quality of life for people suffering from spinal cord injuries,'' said Teng, also an assistant professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School (HMS).
The steroid methylprednisolone is currently used for SCI in clinical practice, but is falling into disfavor because of severe side effects. Minocycline, a well-known neuroprotector that is currently being tested to treat stroke, ALS, Huntington's disease and head trauma, has no observable side effects in the rat model and can be given for up to an hour after SCI, providing a more realistic timeframe for clinical use.
''We believe that if minocycline is demonstrated effective in clinical trials of SCI, it will likely be part of a comprehensive cocktail of medications targeting the acute and chronic injuries of this devastating disease,'' said Robert M. Friedlander, MD of BWH, HMS associate professor of Neurosurgery and co-lead author of the study. ''Because minocycline has already been proven as an effective neuroprotector and is capable of penetrating the blood-brain barrier, we believe that it may become the next-generation therapy for treating SCI.''
Also collaborating in this study was the VA Boston Healthcare System, where Teng is director of spinal cord injury research.
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