Researchers say they promoted 'functional recovery' from severe spinal cord injury in mice

A team of U.S. scientists said this week that they had engineered what they deemed "functional recovery" from severe spinal cord injury in mice, a development that may point toward similar breakthroughs in human medicine.

The researchers, based at Northwestern University, said in a statement this week that they had "developed a new injectable therapy that harnesses 'dancing molecules' to reverse paralysis and repair tissue after severe spinal cord injuries."

In the research, the scientists "administered a single injection to tissues surrounding the spinal cords of paralyzed mice," the press release said. 

"Just four weeks later, the animals regained the ability to walk," it continued.

The scientists "are going straight to the FDA to start the process of getting this new therapy approved for use in human patients," said lead researcher Samuel Stupp.