Scientists at the Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg) were recently able to show in experiments with mice that a paralysis can be reversed by blocking programmed cell death.
Paralysis in the form of paraplegia and quadriplegia is usually the result of traumatic spinal cord injuries, but can also be caused by tumors. When the spinal cord is cut off, information sent by the brain can no longer be transmitted to the limbs. Biological processes such as programmed cell death, or apoptosis, take place after the actual moment of injury of the nerve cords and lead to further destruction of the damaged tissue and thus to permanent paralysis.
Dr. Ana Martin-Villalba and collaborators at the Immunogenetics Division headed by Professor Dr. Peter Krammer describe in the latest issue of the science journal Nature Medicine* how blockage of a key molecule of apoptosis restores the ability of coordinated movement of paralyzed limbs. Using specific antibodies, the investigators blocked a protein called CD95 L which triggers a suicide cascade in cells carrying the specific receptor protein CD95.
The experiments showed that mice treated with antibodies after selective spinal cord injuries performed significantly better in special skill tests than the control animals. In addition, tissue sections of the treated animals revealed newly growing nerve fibers beyond the place of injury. Treatment with antibodies also prevented oligodendrocytes from dying – cells that insulate the cord-like nerve fibers and thus facilitate signal transmission.
Brain injuries and spinal cord injuries are the leading causes of deaths and severe disabilities in individuals under 40 years of age. In the future, specific blockage of apoptosis may become a way of preventing life-long paralysis by protecting injured nerves from further destruction.
*Deana Demjen, Stefan Klussmann et al.: Neutralization of CD95 ligand promotes regeneration and functional recovery after spinal cord injury. Nature Medicine, April 2004
About DKFZ
With more than 3,000 employees, the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) is Germany’s largest biomedical research institute. DKFZ scientists identify cancer risk factors, investigate how cancer progresses and develop new cancer prevention strategies. They are also developing new methods to diagnose tumors more precisely and treat cancer patients more successfully. The DKFZ's Cancer Information Service (KID) provides patients, interested citizens and experts with individual answers to questions relating to cancer.
To transfer promising approaches from cancer research to the clinic and thus improve the prognosis of cancer patients, the DKFZ cooperates with excellent research institutions and university hospitals throughout Germany:
- National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT, 6 sites)
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK, 8 sites)
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center (KiTZ) Heidelberg
- Helmholtz Institute for Translational Oncology (HI-TRON Mainz) - A Helmholtz Institute of the DKFZ
- DKFZ-Hector Cancer Institute at the University Medical Center Mannheim
- National Cancer Prevention Center (jointly with German Cancer Aid)
The DKFZ is 90 percent financed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and 10 percent by the state of Baden-Württemberg. The DKFZ is a member of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers.