The Blue Dye in M&Ms Cures Spinal Injuries
Thanks to miracle compound BBG, mice turn blue, regain ability to walk The next time someone tries to argue that all M&Ms are the same, no matter the color, you can tell them about the blue M&M. The candy gets its color from a compound called Brilliant Blue G (BBG), a food dye that's used in Gatorade and other products -- and turns out to also be medically useful. Building on earlier research, scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center have found that injections of BBG can relieve mice of secondary spinal cord injuries. In September, they will start conducting human clinical trials. BBG works by inhibiting the function of P2X7, a molecule that pervades the spinal cord and assists another molecule, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), in killing off healthy motor neurons. Because quantities of ATP flow to the spinal cord post-injury, significant secondary...