In the world’s first clinical trial using stem cells, the researchers injected the embryonic cells into a patient with spinal cord injury yesterday. The clinical trial, still in its first phase is being held at Shepherd Center, a spinal cord and brain injury center in Atlanta. . Eventually seven more centers will join the trial.
The Phase 1 of the clinical trial is aimed at checking the safety and tolerance level of the injections prepared. For decades researchers have been involved in studies of the remarkable potential of the human stem cell to grow into different kinds of cells in treating spinal cord injuries and various other neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.
Much of the laboratory work was done by Hans Keirstead and team in the Reeve-Irvine Research Center and later licensed to Geron during the clinical trials The team headed by Keirstead managed to grow the stem cells into oligodentrocytes that cover the nerve fibers in humans with fatty myelin sheaths. Only nerves with intact and functional myelin sheath are capable to conducting nerve impulses. In many of the spinal cord injuries and neurodegenerative diseases, it is only the myelin sheath that is injured or degenerated. In animal trials, injections of stem cells helped in regaining the partial use of their paralyzed limbs. Medical personnel around the world are waited with anticipation as the first stage of the trials happen. As of now, medical science can only offer rehabilitation to people suffering from neurodegenerative diseases or spinal cord injury. If the trials go well, this would mean the dawn of new hope for the suffering around the world. Doctors feel that it would be well worth the effort even if it just helped them improve the quality of their lives by improving bladder and bowel control.
During the first phase only the safety aspect will be tested. 10 patients suffering from injuries between the 3rd and 10th thoracic vertebrae will be injected with the stem cells within 2 weeks of the injury. Phase 2 will follow and will check for effectiveness of the injections.
