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SUMMARY:Why canine patients provide an important ‘missing link’ in spi
 nal cord injury - Professor Nick Jeffery\, Department of Veterinary Medici
 ne\, Cambridge
DTSTART:20090930T143000Z
DTEND:20090930T150000Z
UID:TALK18701@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Hannah Critchlow
DESCRIPTION:This talk is part of the Cambridge Clinical Neuroscience and M
 ental Health Symposium\, 29th - 30th September 2009 at West Road Concert H
 all. This event is free to attend for cambridge neuroscientists although r
 egistration is required. To register\, and for further information\, pleas
 e visit: http://www.neuroscience.cam.ac.uk/cnmhs/\n\nTalk Abstract: A larg
 e number of interventions have been shown to enhance the outcome after spi
 nal cord injury (SCI) in experimental rodents. Many of these have potentia
 l for conversion into plausible clinical therapies but translation from la
 b to clinic requires additional data derived from other models of SCI. For
  instance\, determination of effects in experimental SCI in primates – t
 o evaluate effects on the corticospinal tract. It would also be helpful to
  determine whether statistically demonstrable effects observed in homogeno
 us experimental rodents are likely to translate into clinically useful gai
 ns in function after the inevitably heterogenous injuries that occur in cl
 inical patients.  Clinical canine SCI cases can be used for this line of i
 nvestigation.\n\nSCI in dogs occurs at a high incidence\, probably at leas
 t 3000-4000 cases p.a. in the UK. The pathogenesis of SCI in dogs is simil
 ar to that in most humans and experimental rodents\, usually resulting fro
 m a mixed contusive-compressive event\, such as occurs in association with
  a spinal fracture-luxation or following acute extrusion of the nucleus of
  the intervertebral disc (a common occurrence in small breed dogs). The di
 agnosis (MRI\, electrodiagnostics)\, treatment (decompressive surgery\, wh
 en required) and prognosis for SCI in dogs are all very similar to their e
 quivalents in human medicine. Whilst many dogs recover after conventional 
 therapy a small proportion do not regain adequate pelvic limb and bladder 
 and bowel control. This group therefore represents an ideal population in 
 which to test the efficacy of novel therapies for SCI.      \n\nIn our cur
 rent phase II trial we are comparing the effects of intraspinal OEC transp
 lants with that of carrier medium alone on the outcome after severe SCI in
  dogs. We are using electrodiagnostics\, cystometry and computer-assisted 
 gait analysis to quantify the outcome\, thus providing data that will be o
 f direct relevance to treatment of similarly affected human patients.    \
 n\n\nReferences: \nHamilton L\, Franklin RJ\, Jeffery ND. Development of a
  universal measure of quadrupedal forelimb-hindlimb coordination using dig
 ital motion capture and computerised analysis. BMC Neurosci. 2007\; 8:77.\
 n\nJeffery ND\, Smith PM\, Lakatos A\, Ibanez C\, Ito D\, Franklin RJ. Cli
 nical canine spinal cord injury provides an opportunity to examine the iss
 ues in translating laboratory techniques into practical therapy. Spinal Co
 rd 2006 44: 584-93. \n\n
LOCATION:West Road Concert Hall
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