Rapid treatment with a new anti-inflammatory could have a major impact on recovery from spinal cord injury, University of Queensland researchers have found.
UQ School of Biomedical Sciences’ Dr Marc Ruitenberg and PhD student Ms Faith Brennan said they made the discovery during laboratory trials with an experimental drug.
Ms Brennan said that excessive inflammation caused additional damage in spinal cord injuries and hindered recovery. 
“We found that a molecule called C5aR exacerbates inflammation and tissue damage after spinal cord injury,” she said.
“Our study shows that drugs inhibiting C5aR can improve recovery when administered early after injury.
“This exciting discovery could form the basis for new frontline therapies to treat patients with spinal cord trauma.”
Dr Ruitenberg said there was a critical time window for this new treatment.
“What we also discovered is that this molecule, C5aR, has multiple roles and is also needed for repair processes undertaken by astrocytes, a specialised type of cell in the spinal cord,” he said.