NEWARK Stem cells might repair damage in a spinal cord, regenerating tissue currently considered irreparable. Electrical implants are already allowing a quadriplegic to control a robotic hand with their thoughts. And scientists are working on protein therapy that would keep a bad injury from becoming catastrophic .

These were just some of the advances in treating spinal cord injuries that were heralded at a symposium Wednesday at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. It was the second annual meeting of national scientists and researchers coming together in Newark to sharing their expertise.

The presentations show further advances since last years inaugural event, according to the experts.

"Everything Im seeing here is completely different than what I learned as a medical student 25 years ago," said Robert Heary, a UMDNJ neurosurgeon, the co-director of the Reynolds Family Spine Laboratory at the Spine Center of New Jersey, and the organizer of the event.

Stem cell implantation in a dozen spinal-cord patients is underway in Switzerland, according to Aileen Anderson, an associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of California-Irvine who has been involved in the work. She said the human clinical trial involving multipotent cells at the University of Zurich will be going through 2015 at least but stem cells advances have been moving relatively quickly.

"Cholesterol drugs took 30 years to get to market," Anderson said. "Stem cells as potential therapeutics have moved pretty quickly."

Some of the work presented variations upon a microscopic theme.

A UMDNJ team presented work in which an immune-system protein is suppressed to reduce inflammation allowing better recovery after catastrophic injury in mice. Michele Basso, a professor at the Ohio State University College of Medicine, presented work that showed rodents walking was dramatically improved after the another protein was suppressed, and they got exercise.

"We begin to see a gain of function that we wouldnt normally see," said Basso.

Still others focused on the technologies that being used to currently treat patients.

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UMDNJ symposium heralds advances in treating spinal cord injuries