Colorado residents know that injuries sustained from motor vehicles accidents can vary in severity. Small cuts, bruises and broken bones are just a few examples. However, many suffer from more debilitating injuries including traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries. However, a new drug treatment may be on the horizon that could offer hope to victims of permanent spinal cord injuries.

Starting this spring, a new, three-year-long drug treatment program aimed at combating the effects of spinal cord damage will kick off. The treatment initiative, however, will be for canines only. Specifically, dachshunds, beagles and corgis with spinal cord injuries will undergo a series of shots that block a particular protein released after a disc rupture. The hope is to stop the inflammation that causes the damage after the initial spinal cord rupture.

Linda Noble-Haeusslein, professor in the departments of neurological surgery and physical therapy and rehabilitation at the University of California-San Francisco, is collaborating with the School of Veterinary medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M. They will work with pet owners to initiate the drugs.

Prior to approving the upcoming treatment for canines, the medicine proved effective on mice. Humans are next in line if the drug is successful.

The U.S. Department of Defense has high hopes that the treatment will work and has agreed to pay $750,000 to fund the project.

According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, over 250,000 people are presently disabled from spinal cord injuries. It is estimated that 37 percent of SCIs are caused from vehicular accidents.

The treatment will no doubt offer hope to both canine owners and spinal cord victims alike.

Source: Chicago Sun-Times, "Treating dogs' spinal cord injuries could help humans, too," Sharon L. Peters, Feb. 6, 2012