Japan team carries out world-first spinal cord stem cell trial
There is currently no effective treatment for paralysis caused by severe spinal cord injuries, believed to affect more than 100,000 people in Japan alone. Surgeons at Tokyo's Keio University want to study whether induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can treat injuries. In this regard, iPS cells are created by stimulating mature, specialized cells back into a juvenile state. Indeed, they can then be prompted to mature into different cells, with the Keio University study using iPS-derived cells of the neural stem. Also, the trial involved implanting more than two million iPS-derived cells into a patient's spinal cord in operation last month. "This is definitely a huge step forward," Masaya Nakamura, a Keio University professor who heads the research, told reporters. But there remains "lots of work to be done" before the treatment can be put to use, he added. The initial stage of the study aims to confirm the safety of the transplant method, the researchers said. The team also hopes to see whether stem cell implants will improve neurological function and quality of life. The number of cells implanted was determined after safety experiments in animals. The researchers cautioned that while they will be monitoring for therapeutic effects, the study's primary goal is to study the safety of injecting the cells.
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