A pioneer treatment with stem cells It helped improve the motor function of two of four patients with spinal cord injuries in the first clinical study of this type, the Japanese scientists who carried them out announced.
At present there is no effective treatment for paralysis caused by serious spinal cord lesions.
The researchers at the Keio de Tokyo University conducted their study with induced pluripotent stem cells (IPS).
IPS cells, created from adult cells, are genetically reprogrammed to multiply in any type of cell, depending on the place of the body where they are transplanted.
Japanese university said Friday that The motor function of two patients improved after a two million IPS cell transplant in their spinal cord.
“We have been able to obtain results for the first world treatment of the spinal cord with IPS cells,” NHK Hideyuki Okano, Keio’s professor in charge of clinical research, told the public chain.
The main objective of this clinical study was to confirm the security of this treatment method.
One of the two transplanted patients, An old man injured in an accident, is now capable of standing without support and is training to walk, NHK reported.
The University of Keio received the authorization of the Japanese authorities in 2019 for this pioneering research, which was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The details of the patients have remained confidential, but the medical team is focusing on people with very recent spinal injuries, between 14 to 28 days before the operation.