People who have been paralysed have been given new hope of walking again as a result of a scientific breakthrough.
An advance in nanotechology made in Yorkshire could lead to the repair of damaged spinal cords, potentially leading the way to those suffering paralysis regaining the use of their limbs.
Researchers at the University of Sheffield claim they have d
iscovered a way to manipulate cells, which means they could be made to regrow across damaged areas of the cord.
Dr Mark Geoghengan, from the Department of Physics and Astronomy who led the research, said: "By understanding how to make these molecules move in a given direction, we have the potential to create structures that allow molecules to get to a target.
"If we are lucky this could have implications in many technologies, such as coaxing cells to move and grow in given directions, which would have huge implications for the treatment of paralysis."
The control of molecules, which measure only 1,000th of a millimetre, currently relies on external intervention.
Dr Geoghengan said: "One can move molecules using scanning probe microscopes, optical tweezers, and the like, but our method simply involves the creation of a path for the molecules to move and allows them to get on with it."
These new findings reveal how and why individual molecules choose to move in a given direction, which provides scientists with a new technique to bring molecules together.
Paralysis occurs when the spinal cord is damaged and instructions from the brain cannot reach muscles. Scientists cannot currently repair the spinal cord's electrical connections, but it is hoped that this new technology will enable the cells to reconnect the cord and self-repair.
The research was published in the ACS Nano journal in September.
Last month scientists at the University of Zurich and the University of California in Los Angeles successfully treated paralysed mice, enabling them to walk normally again by using a combination of drugs, muscle stimulation and treadmill exercises.