Founder of start-up says device will one day change treatment of spinal cord injuries (Boston.com)
Reynolds company will try to commercialize a scaffold-like implant that seems to protect the tissue of the damaged spinal cord, Reynolds says, and then foster “neuroplasticity,’’ the nervous system’s ability to reorganize itself around the site of an injury and restore some function. (Made of a special polymer, itbiodegrades in about two months.)
When neural stem cells were added to the device before it was implanted, the results were even more impressive. But InVivo will first try to get the FDA to approve the implant on its own, without the stem cells added.