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Spanish researchers reconnect the completely divided spinal cord of a rat thanks to graphene foams
A new study led by the ICMM-CSIC demonstrates the possibilities of this material for curing the spinal cord injuries.
This group, in close collaboration with researchers from the National Hospital of Paraplegics in Toledo such as Juan Aguilar and Elisa López, prepared a foam (called a scaffold) made of reduced graphene oxide:"It undergoes a thermal treatment at 220°C to eliminate excess oxygen groups and increase chemical bonds between sheets, which gives us greater mechanical stability," explains Serrano, who has been working on this material for neural regeneration applications for over a decade. The researcher explains that they observe "how the neurons that have survived in the area around the injury extend their projections through the scaffold and invade it in its full 3D extent." This work is part of the Piezo4Spine project, funded by the European Union through the Horizon Europe Pathfinder program, which aims to cure spinal cord injuries through nanotechnology.
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