Summary: A new clinical study shows that neural stem cell transplant may help manage spinal cord injuries. In this study, stem cell therapy improved movement and feeling. It also lowered pain scores in people living with the injury.
Worldwide, more than 15 million people live with spinal cord injury (SCI). It is still one of the hardest conditions to treat. Many people with SCI live with paralysis. Their movement and feeling are damaged. Some also live with severe chronic pain.
Right now, there is no known treatment that cures these patients. No surgery can bring back movement or reverse paralysis. The few methods that exist work in only a small number of cases. The changes in feeling are also hard to manage. They can range from total loss of feeling to chronic pain.
But science has tested many regenerative methods for years. One of the best known in regenerative medicine is the use of stem cells. These special cells can turn into other cells, including nerve cells. They also make bioactive compounds that help healing.
Now a new study shows that a stem cell transplant may be a real and useful way to treat these patients. These findings are very hopeful. Science has gotten much better at collecting and shaping stem cells over the years.
We now know that stem cells live in most body tissues. Many of these tissues can serve as a source. Many stem cells can also be copied in labs. That gives a large supply and opens the door to wide use in medicine.
Stem cells have almost magical powers. They can readily turn into different body tissues. Put them into the nervous system, and specific signaling molecules can guide them. They may turn into nerve cells and help other nerve cells grow.
Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine ran this new phase I study. A phase I study looks mainly at safety, not at how well a treatment works. Still, its second goal was to measure how well it worked.
The researchers are very encouraged by these early results. The study succeeded, because the SCI patients handled the stem cell transplants well. As a phase I study, it included only four patients. They were followed for five years after the procedure.
Over the years, all of them reported some gains in movement and feeling. Their electromyography (EMG) scores, a test of muscle and nerve signals, also improved. That showed the therapy worked. All the patients also reported better pain scores.
The researchers concluded that stem cell therapy could potentially treat spinal cord injuries. These early results are hopeful, so they plan to start phase II clinical trials. Phase II trials focus on how well a treatment works. They also use a much bigger group of patients.
So this is good news for people living with spinal cord injuries. In the future, these regenerative methods may be tested for other problems. These include neuropathies, chronic pains, and even low back pain.
Frequently asked questions
Can stem cells repair a spinal cord injury?
Early results are hopeful. In a phase I study at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, four patients with spinal cord injury got neural stem cell transplants. They were followed for five years. All four reported some gains in movement and feeling. Their EMG scores improved, and all reported lower pain scores. Larger phase II trials are planned to test how well it works.
Is stem cell therapy for spinal cord injury safe?
Safety was the main question in this study. Phase I trials are built to test safety first. The patients handled the neural stem cell transplants well over five years of follow-up. Only four people were treated. So phase II trials with a much larger group are the next step to measure how well the treatment works.
How do stem cells help damaged nerves heal?
Stem cells can turn into many kinds of cells, including nerve cells. When they are put into the nervous system, specific signaling molecules can guide them. They can become nerve cells and help other nerve cells grow. They also release bioactive compounds that help healing. Many stem cells can be grown in labs, which could make a steady supply possible.
Is there a cure for spinal cord injury?
Not at present. There is no known treatment that cures spinal cord injury. No surgery can restore movement or reverse paralysis. The methods that exist help only a small number of cases. Changes in feeling, from total loss of feeling to chronic pain, are also hard to manage. That is why regenerative methods such as stem cell transplants are being studied.
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Source:
Martin, J. R., Cleary, D., Abraham, M. E., Mendoza, M., Cabrera, B., Jamieson, C., Marsala, M., & Ciacci, J. D. (2024). Long-term clinical and safety outcomes from a single-site phase 1 study of neural stem cell transplantation for chronic thoracic spinal cord injury. Cell Reports Medicine, 5(12). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101841
Dr. Gurpreet Singh Padda, MD, MBA, MHP
