Source: University of California - San Diego
Date: March 13, 2006
Summary:
Dr. Martin Marsala, an associate professor in the department of anesthesiology, hopes his research with stem cells will one day soon allow people who are suffering from spinal ischemic injury to improve their motor function. His research focuses on is developing cell-replacement therapies aimed at re-populating pools of inhibitory neurons lost when blood supply to the spinal cord is blocked during surgery. While Marsala's research to date has been with rats and mini-pigs, his work is moving towards human trials within the next one to two years, with the goal of promoting motor recovery after spinal cord ischemia.
