San Diego, California Experiments on rats by a team of international researchers have shown increased mobility and function in spinal injuries after a single injection of human neural stem cells.
The team, led by the University of San Diego, published their findings in the May 2013 issue of Stem Cell Research and Therapy. They found that injecting neural stem cells into the rats spinal injury resulted in a number of benefits. The rats experienced less muscle spasticity and researchers saw improvement in the positioning and control of paws during the walking tests conducted on the rats.
According to website, Science Daily Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and spinal injury expert, Martin Marsala said often uncontrolled muscle spasms is a serious complication when there has been trauma to the spinal cord. The effect of the stem cells is thus significant, the cells are reported to vigorously take root at the injury site.
Marsala added that when rats were treated with the cells, any cysts or cavities around spinal injuries would be filled by the grafted cells. These cells would reportedly undertake to stimulate neuron generation by promoting the growth of new nerve fibres; and also partially replace the functions performed by lost neurons.
It appears the grafted neurons are capable of developing contact with host neurons and restoring the connectivity between centres around the injury involved in motor and sensory processing.
The rats received the injection of pure stem cell grafts three days after the spinal injury. In addition to the stem cell injection they were given drugs to suppress the immune response to the foreign cells.
The next step after the study on rats is approval by UC San Diegos Institutional Review Board, and then a phase 1 trial to test efficacy and safety on patients who have suffered spinal injury in the last two years.
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Stem Cell Injection May Improve Spinal Injuries