Spinal cord injury stem cell the human trials beginRSS Feed

A spinal cord injury patient in the US has become the first ever to be injected with human embryonic stem cells in a federally-approved trial.

The patient is enrolled at the spinal cord and brain injury Shepherd Center in Atlanta, which is one of the units participating in biopharmaceutical firm Geron's trials.

To be included in the programme, the patient must be newly injured and receive treatment within 14 days.

Geron boss Thomas Okarma described the clinical trial as a "milestone" in human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research.

"When we started working with hESCs in 1999, many predicted that it would be a number of decades before a cell therapy would be approved for human clinical trials," he added.

He also hailed the research and development that went into producing the treatment, known as GRNOPC1.

The news comes after researchers at the Karolinska Institutet have identified a stem cell that becomes active when a spinal cord is injured.

News from Serious Law, specialist spinal injury compensation solicitors

Posted by Paul Breen

Swedish stem cell researchers make spinal cord injury breakthrough

11 October 2010

Spinal cord injury patients are a little closer to the prospect of stem cells being used to repair damaged tissue after scientists in Sweden made a breakthrough with mice.Researchers at the Karolinska...

Read More...

Spinal cord injury charity teaming up with Hollywood

08 October 2010

A spinal cord injury charity is teaming up with the producers of a hit US TV show to raise funds for research. SCI Research Advancement is raffling tickets for chance to visit the set of The Office, the...

Read More...

Spinal injury charity unveils best apps for people with paralysis

07 October 2010

People living with paralysis caused by a spinal injury can find apps designed for smartphones to be of great benefit, a charity has said.The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, which assists paralysed...

Read More...