Treated pigs regained unsteady walking after spinal cord cuts in small Russian fusogen study; controls stayed paralyzed

Three pigs with completely severed spinal cords regained the ability to walk unsteadily, recovered pelvic control and regained some sensitivity to touch by the end of a 60-day study after receiving fusogenic therapy. @NewScientist reported that researchers led by Michael Lebenstein-Gumovski at the Sklifosovsky Institute for Emergency Medicine in Russia anaesthetised the animals, removed the bony arch around the spinal cord, cooled the area for one minute and sliced through the cord in the mid-back region.

Three pigs received injections and infusions of a fusogen made from polyethylene glycol and chitosan at the injury site and into the blood.

All animals underwent twice-daily electrostimulation of each limb for 20 minutes plus anti-inflammatory drugs. One treated pig moved a hind limb on day two and all three responded to pinpricks in parts of their hind legs.

By day seven one attempted to stand. Control animals remained paraplegic. Tissue analysis showed less degeneration and axonal bridges across the lesion in treated pigs. More than 15 million people live with spinal cord injury.

Melissa Andrews at the University of Southampton said the results were striking because treated animals recovered some sensory and motor function, though she noted the cooling step does not match most real-world injuries. Lebenstein-Gumovski said the next step is to repeat the experiment in larger groups with independent teams in several countries before moving to human studies.

A Russian law adding nerve and spinal cord tissue to the authorised transplant list takes effect on 1 September 2026.