Hamilton College Visiting Professor Michele L. Lemons conducted research at the University of Florida Brain Institute in Gainesville. Researchers examined spinal injuries and discovered why damaged spinal nerves will not heal.
Popular Mechanic's web site reports that, "Experiments with rats suggest that following a transplant a family of molecules known as chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) form a barrier that prevents many nerve fiber connections from growing. "These molecules may be one of the factors that contribute to the failure of the spinal cord to regenerate," says Michele L. Lemons. A visiting assistant professor at Hamilton College in New York, she conducted the experiments while a University of Florida doctoral student."
