As the owner of two dachshunds, this story made my day! A ten-year-old dachshund has helped scientists achieve a medical breakthrough that could help treat paralysis in humans too. Injecting cells from the dog’s nose into the injured part of his spine helped repair the damage. After the treatment, Jasper the dachshund was able to move his previously paralysed hind legs and coordinate movement with his front limbs. The dog is now ‘whizzing around’ unassisted and can also swim. Early trials involving humans have taken place, and Professor Robin Franklin, co-author of the study from the Wellcome Trust-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, said: ‘Our findings are extremely exciting because they show for the first time that transplanting these types of cell into a severely damaged spinal cord can bring about significant improvement'. [Daily Mail].
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