Spinal cord repair: from experimental models to human application.

Axon regeneration fails in the CNS because the glial environment is inhibitory, and because the regenerative response of CNS is poor. Regeneration can therefore be induced by removing the inhibitory effect of CNS glial molecules, by increasing the regenerative in animal models of spinal cord injury has recently been achieved by several strategies that apply these principles. The successful techniques have been to block inhibitory molecules made by astrocytes, to implant peripheral nerve grafts embedded in a bFGF-containing fibrin gel, to implant olfactory ensheathing cells, to graft embryonic spinal cord tissue, and to implant trophic factor-secreting fibroblasts. The next challenge is to prepare to apply these types of treatment to human patients with spinal cord injuries.