Exclusive
Warren Collins, Solicitor-Advocate at Penningtons Manches Cooper, tackles this delicate subject. The intimate consequences of catastrophic injury are often the most difficult to discuss, yet they represent profound losses that deserve proper legal recognition and compensation. English courts have increasingly recognised that sexual dysfunction following injury constitutes a legitimate component of general damages for pain, [...]
An escape room has been created to highlight the realities faced by people living with a brain injury. It was recently launched at the Ipswich headquarters of Headway Suffolk, a charity that helps people with neurological conditions. The activity has been tested by clinicians and features six stations that simulate how a person with a [...]
A new research initiative aims to lay the foundation for the country’s first genetic screening programme for brain aneurysms—potentially reshaping how the NHS identifies and manages a life-threatening but often overlooked condition that can devastate families for generations. The ROAR-DNA Project, a UK-based multicentre research project bringing together researchers from University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation [...]
A new treatment tested in mice could help limit brain damage caused when blood flow is restored after a stroke. Researchers are investigating how acidified disodium malonate (aDSM) may reduce injury caused by the sudden return of oxygen-rich blood to brain tissue after clot removal. Fewer than one in 10 stroke patients currently leave hospital [...]
A genetic therapy called tofersen has been approved in the UK to treat SOD1-ALS, a rare inherited form of motor neurone disease. The drug targets amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) caused by mutations in the SOD1 gene – which produces an enzyme called superoxide dismutase 1 – leading to a toxic protein that damages nerve cells. [...]
Dutch medtech company TrianecT has raised €1.35m to bring its ambulance-based stroke detection device, StrokePointer, to market. The portable system allows paramedics to assess stroke severity on scene and direct patients to centres equipped for specialist treatment. Stroke affects one in four people over 25 and accounts for a third of global healthcare costs. [...]
A new drug, GAI-17, has reduced brain cell death and paralysis in mice after stroke, even when given six hours after onset. Researchers found the compound blocks a protein linked to cell death, suggesting it may extend the treatment window for stroke and reduce long-term damage. The team, based at Osaka Metropolitan University in Japan, [...]
Amphix Bio’s lead therapy for spinal cord injury has been granted orphan drug status by the US Food and Drug Administration, potentially speeding up access for patients. The treatment, AMFX-200, uses engineered peptides—small protein fragments—that act as drugs to activate cell receptors and as scaffolds to support tissue regeneration. The designation is reserved for conditions [...]
A new 3D printed implant could aid recovery after spinal cord injury by delivering electrical signals to encourage nerve cell growth. The soft, gel-like implant includes conductive fibres that transmit electrical currents to help neurons regrow. It was developed using materials designed to replicate the spinal cord’s natural environment, including hyaluronic acid, collagen type-IV and [...]
A brain-computer interface has enabled a man with ALS to speak in real time by converting brain activity directly into a synthetic voice. The investigational system allows the user to communicate with family through a digital vocal tract that simulates speech, enabling him to adjust intonation and even produce simple melodies. Unlike earlier technologies that [...]
