Stem Cell Treatments for Spinal Cord Injuries

Stem cell therapies are designed to replace dysfunctional or diseased cells with healthy ones. Embryonic stem cells, the non-specialized or "starter" cells of the body, have the capacity to become specialized, transforming into any other cell type. They are currently being studied as a means to treat a wide variety of degenerative disorders and disorders in which existing cells are damaged by injury.

History

• According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the earliest documented evidence of spinal cord injury dates to 1700 B.C. Papyrus scrolls from this time document two spinal cord injuries that resulted in paralysis. Both were described as "an ailment not to be treated." In 460 B.C., Hippocrates devised treatments involving a hanging device he called the Hippocratic ladder to try to reverse curvatures of the spine and treat paralysis, with little success.

Symptoms

• According to the Mayo Clinic, spinal cord injuries can be complete, with a total loss of all motor function and sensation, or incomplete, with some motor function and sensation remaining. Symptoms of spinal cord injuries include: loss of movement, loss of sensation, loss of bladder and bowel control, changes in sexual function, pain or stinging from damaged nerve fibers, difficulty breathing and exaggerated reflexes.

Pluripotent Cells

• Embryonic stem cells, those extracted from the developing embryo, are pluripotent. Pluripotent cells can develop into any type of cell in the body and have been the focus of the majority of recent stem cell research. According to the Bedford Stem Cell Research Foundation, scientists are currently working on determining which type of pluripotent stem cell will have the most therapeutic effects.

Historic Trial

• In 2009, researchers embarked on the first ever clinical trial using embryonic stem cells to treat a patient with spinal cord injury, according to New Scientist. "This marks the beginning of what is potentially a new chapter in medical therapeutics, one that reaches beyond pills to a new level of healing: the restoration of organ and tissue function achieved by the injection of healthy replacement cells," said Tom Okarma, president of the Geron Corporation, the company running the trial.

Stem Cell Politics

• The Geron Corporation's clinical trial was first proposed in 2001, under the Bush administration. President Bush blocked this study, and many similar research proposals, for the eight years of his presidency, citing ethical concerns over the use of embryonic cells for science. Today, hundreds of stem cell trials are underway worldwide, bringing hope to patients with spinal cord injuries and to those suffering from a wide variety of degenerative diseases.