'Unprecedented': Drug May Help Heal Damaged Spine

Researchers say they've developed a drug that may help heal a damaged spine — the first time anything like a drug has been shown to help.

The drug works on nerve cells that are cut, sending connections across the break, and it helped injured rats move their back legs again and also gave them back control of their bladders.

"This recovery is unprecedented," said Jerry Silver, a neuroscience professor at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio who led the study.

Right now, there's no good way to heal a broken spine. Sometimes people grow nerve cells back, but usually not. All the cures that are in the works require invasive surgery, whether it's injections of stem cells, nerve tissue transplants or implants of neurostimulators.

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/unprecedented-drug-may-help-heal-damaged-spine-n261116