PANews reported on May 6 that according to Cointelegraph, the decentralized scientific organization HydraDAO announced that its funded Dowell spinal fusion project has made breakthrough progress in animal experiments. The research team used a new type of nerve repair material Neuro-PEG to restore the ability of experimental mice with complete spinal cord transection to walk within 5 days after surgery. The project previously received $380,000 in USDC funding through a DAO community vote, and related technologies have been applied for international patents. Neuro-PEG has photopolymerization properties and can quickly form solid scaffolds to repair nerve damage, and cooperate with local hypothermia and other neuroprotective technologies to prevent secondary damage. The person in charge, Michael Lebenstein-Gumovski, published a study in International Surgical Neurology in 2023, showing that the technology had restored motor function in experimental pigs within two months. The team plans to develop a surgical kit worth $3500-20,000 and provide professional training for neurosurgeons.
It is worth noting that Gumovski was involved in the controversial "head transplant" project of Italian neurosurgeon Canavero. Although this study is based on mature membrane fusion agent science, the academic community recommends caution and requires a third-party team to repeat and verify the results. HydraDAO said it will add electrophysiological experiments to verify the conduction of nerve signals between the brain and spinal cord.
