An award-winning popular medical writer, Luba Vikhanski follows the work of today's most watched scientific teams as they race to defeat the ancient assumption that spinal cord injury is incurable.

In Search of the Lost Cord takes us from one short paragraph, penned in Madrid in the early 1900s, that pushed nerve regeneration into the backwaters of science for much of the last century to the discoveries that began tumbling from labs around the world in recent years. The author brings to life the courage and conviction of the top scientists and young acolytes who are fighting their way toward the vital advances. She describes their research in clear, accessible language and never loses sight of the two million victims of injuries whose hopes rest on this quest. In an era full of new hope for regeneration, the struggle to heal the spinal cord is by far the most compelling story.

Based on more than 150 interviews in eight countries and extensive background research, Vikhanski's account is popular science at its best.