We are all well aware that brain and spinal cord injuries can be detrimental, leading to brain damage, paralysis or even death with no treatments available. You never know what might happen tomorrow, as accidents can happen to any one of us at any time. But are there new therapeutics on the horizon? On this night, you will hear from two scientists who research new avenues in supporting recovery; how diet and technological advances could help.
Talk 1: Eat your way to recovery – Dr Orli Thau-Zuchman (Research Fellow in Trauma Sciences)
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) leads to major neurological impairment and is the leading cause of death and disability around the world.A car crash, a bad bicycle fall, it can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere.The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that TBI will be the third greatest cause of injury and disability worldwide by 2020.At present, there is no satisfactory treatment for this condition despite hundreds of clinical trials that have tried, and failed, to support brain injury recovery. My talk will give a glimpse on a potential new avenue to treat brain injury using medical food.
Talk 2: Thirty-five grams of spinal cord taken for granted that can break in a dreadful snap: New hope for full repair? – Dr. Patrick Pallier (Postdoctoral Research Assistant in Neurotrauma)
Spinal cord injury is a devastating condition that leaves the patient with a lifetime of complete or partial paralysis and loss of sensation below the affected site of the spinal cord, with dramatic impact on the whole family. What is spinal cord injury, and how does it affect the daily lives of the patients? Why are we still unable to repair a damaged spinal cord? What are the current challenges of this fast-moving and exciting field of research? And what new hope is on the horizon?