Stem cell clinical trial aims to combat nerve damage in human tissue

“Pioneering treatment given go-ahead in US as researchers inject cells directly into patient's damaged spinal cord”
Hello to all, I am going to talk today about a very important news. It is the development of a new therapy for the treatment of the lesions of the spinal cord; this treatment was proved in a patient of USA more specifically in the Sheperd Center, a specialist spine and brain injury in Atlanta.
The treatment was performed on Friday 8, in the patient, who has not been named, for Geron, a biotech company based in California.
In the first phase of the development of this treatment, doctors will establish only whether the treatment is safe to use. Geron will need to further trials in coming years to assess whether the treatment is effective in repairing spinal cord injuries.
The trial of the treatment was performed in patients who have received a spinal injury within the past 14 days. These patients will be injected with living cells that are precursors of a kind found in the nervous system. The cells are expected to infiltrate the site of the injury and release chemicals that help repair damaged spinal cord nerves.
Throughout the trial, doctors will monitor patients to see whether they are regaining sensation or better able to move parts of the body affected by their injury.
Tests in animals show that injections of the cells can improve their ability to walk and move after sustaining an injury.
Doctors hope that injecting stem cells directly into the spine will help repair damaged nerve cells enough for paralyzed people to regain some movement.
To my mind the develop of this treatment will help a lot of people in the world and will give a new hope to the people that can’t walk.
Here is the webpage of the news:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/oct/11/stem-cell-trial-spinal-cord