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The following movie explores regenerative medicine and the spinal cord:

Just placing stem cells in the area of injury doesn’t help because the environment is too harsh for them to grow in and they cannot pierce through the scar tissue.

The stem cells are implanted near the site of injury to connect to the existing cells and grow across the gap. The round structure around the cells is a thin tube used to allow the stem cells to grow through scar tissue.

So, scientists must provide not only healthy cells but also a healhy envirnoment and a pathway through the scar. Scientists are developing a method that involves using very thin tubes, thinner than human hair, as scaffolds. These are placed in the injured area, crossing the scar tissue and carrying stem cells and neuron cell growth factors! This allows the stem cells to grow into neurons and sprout new axons - so communication is re-established.

The Parkinson disease is caused by a neurotransmitter (a kind of chemical signal transmitted by the brain) that is responsible for starting and controlling muscle movement and balance. At this point, modern medicine uses drugs and surgery as therapy but regenerative medicine hopes to offer a cure in the future!