COVER STORY: Biotechnology Brings Hope to Tissue Regeneration.

Applying synthetic molecules in regenerative medicine may translate to the repair of spinal-cord injury, bone, and heart tissue.

People stricken by paralysis because of spinal-cord injury suffer a personal tragedy. Their plight was brought home by the high-profile case of Superman actor Christopher Reeve. Long an active sportsman, he was reduced to a helpless paraplegic by a fall from a horse and then died last year from complications of his condition.

Researchers worldwide are investigating various means to treat this terrible debilitating condition. A group of US scientists at Northwestern University believe their synthetic molecules could lead to regeneration of bodily tissue, including neurons. They have succeeded in fabricating molecules that promote differentiation of mouse embryonic cells into neurons and the suppression of cells known as astrocytes, a development that holds promise of reversing paralysis due to spinal-cord injury.

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