Stem-cell breakthrough in treatment of spinal cord injuries

Neurology: A leading British neuroscientist believes he will be in a position to treat patients with spinal cord injuries using stem cells later this year, writes Eoin Burke-Kennedy

Prof Geoffrey Raisman from the Institute of Neurology at University College London will reveal the extent of his research at a stem cell conference in NUI Galway on Thursday.

Prof Raisman has pioneered a technique which involves transplanting adult stem cells from the lining of the nose into the areas of injury in the spinal cord.

He told The Irish Times that his research team had carried out tests on rats with injuries to a specific small tract in the spinal cord.

"We have been able to restore the use of the paw for retrieving food and climbing and the use of the diaphragm - the muscle used for breathing. We are now looking at human cells and we hope to be seeing human patients later this year," he said.

The traditional scientific view has been that after damage to the brain or spinal cord the body had no ability to regenerate the connections. But Prof Raisman believes that after injury new nerve connections form automatically.

"The problem is that the nerve fibres which have been cut do not regenerate - the new connections are additional ones formed by existing nerve fibres in the area," he says. "So they do not restore the circuitry, they simply restore the gaps. The idea is to reopen this pathway by reorganising the cells of the scar tissue and letting the nerve finders grow back."

A circuit is then reconnected, he says, to restore function or relearn, even if it is not correct.

The aim is to repair spinal cord injury in humans by transplanting stem cells from the nasal lining called olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) into the areas of injury. These cells are chosen because the nasal lining is the only area of the body where nerve fibres are known to be able to grow throughout adult life.

Prof Raisman is proposing that the first human trials be carried out on patients with the spinal root injury known as brachial plexis avulsion - where the nerves to the arm are pulled out of the spinal cord - frequently as a result of car accidents.

But he believes in time the procedure can be applied to more severe spinal cord damage and to other injuries such as stroke, blindness and deafness.

Prof Raisman is due to speak about his research at a two-day meeting of the Irish Network of Neural Stem-cell Investigators starting on Thursday at NUI, Galway. The network was established in 2004 by patient representatives and scientists in an effort to accelerate the search for treatments for serious degenerative diseases.

The meeting will be addressed by leading experts in the field of stem cell research including Prof Iqbal Ahmad from the University of Nebraska who is developing a cell-based approach to treating retinal degeneration.

Prof Stephen Dunnett, director of Cardiff University's brain repair group, will present a paper on stem cell-based treatments for neurodegenerative disorders such as Huntington's disease and Parkinson's disease.

Internationally renowned stem-cell researcher Prof Frank Barry will give details of his research into the therapeutic application of adult stem cells from bone marrow.

Parents pay for stem cells to be taken from umbilical cord, page 3