Treatment may help spinal cord injuries

A stem cell treatment developed at UC Irvine and used in rats with neck spinal cord injuries has been shown to restore their limb function, according to a study appearing in the medical journal Stem Cells.

In January, the treatment was the first human embryonic stem cell treatment approved by the FDA for human testing for those with injuries below the neck. The treatment has not yet been approved for those with neck damage, as testing with lab rats had yet to be completed.

UCI scientist and primary study author Hans Keirstead said he hoped the data would prompt the FDA to authorize testing in both types.

“People with cervical damage often have lost or impaired limb movement and bowel, bladder or sexual function, and currently there’s no effective treatment. It’s a challenging existence,” Keirstead said in a release. “What our therapy did to injured rodents is phenomenal. If we see even a fraction of that benefit in humans, it will be nothing short of a home run.”

The rats that received the treatment one week after suffering neck spinal cord injuries saw a 97% rate of walking ability; the rats that didn’t receive the stem cell treatment saw their ability degrade to 38%, UCI said.

In the treatment, stem cells rebuilt myelin, which aids the central nervous system’s efforts to communicate and function. The stem cells also prevented tissue death, triggered nerve fiber regrowth and suppressed the immune response.

“The transplant created a healing environment in the spinal cord,” said Keirstead, who also is co-director of the Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center.