Study demonstrates safety of neural stem cell transplant for treating chronic spinal cord injury

A Phase I clinical trial led by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine has demonstrated the long-term safety and feasibility of neural stem cell transplantation for treating chronic spinal cord injuries. These devastating injuries often result in partial or full paralysis and are currently incurable. The study, which followed four patients with chronic spinal cord injuries for five years, found that two patients showed durable evidence of neurological improvement after treatment with neural stem cell implantation, including increased motor and sensory scores, and improved electromyography (EMG) activity. Some patients also showed improvement in pain scores.

Neural stem cell transplantation is an emerging treatment for various neurological disorders and injuries that works by implanting human-derived stem cells into damaged or diseased areas of the nervous system. Because these neural stem cells are derived from human cells, this treatment approach has the potential to regenerate damaged tissue while integrating seamlessly into the existing nervous system.

The study found that all four patients tolerated the treatment well, and while the current study was only designed to assess safety and tolerability, the results suggest that neural stem cell transplantation may have therapeutic potential for treating chronic spinal cord injuries. Following these promising results, the researchers now hope to initiate a phase II clinical trial to assess the treatment's efficacy.

The study, published in the December 17 edition of Cell Reports Medicine, was led by Joseph Ciacci, M.D., a professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery at UC San Diego School of Medicine and neurosurgeon at UC San Diego Health, and Joel Martin, M.D., who was a neurological surgery resident physician at UC San Diego at the time the study was completed and is now a neurosurgeon at Orlando Health. The research was supported by the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) UC San Diego Alpha Stem Cell Clinic and the Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center within the Sanford Stem Cell Institute.