The world’s first successful transplant of stem cells in a patient with a spinal cord injury (SCI) has been hailed as a “huge step forward” in efforts to cure paralysis.
Surgeons at Tokyo’s Keio University are studying whether induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can be used to treat SCI.
And it has been announced than in the first step in the trial, more than two million iPS-derived cells have been implanted into a patient’s spinal cord in an operation which took place last month.
Keio University Professor Masaya Nakamura, who leads the research, said this marked a “huge step forward” but there remains “lots of work to be done” before the treatment can be put to use.
iPS cells are created by stimulating mature, already specialised, cells back into a juvenile state.
They can then be prompted to mature into different kinds of cells, with the Keio University study using iPS-derived cells of the neural stem.
The initial stage of the Keio University study aims to confirm the safety of the transplant method, the researchers said.
The patient will be monitored by an independent committee for up to three months to decide whether the study can safely continue and others can receive transplants.
The team also hopes to see whether the stem cell implants will improve neurological function and quality of life.
The number of cells implanted into the patient was determined after safety experiments in animals, said the researchers. While they willbe monitoring for therapeutic effects, the study’s main goal is to study the safety of injecting the cells, they added.
The study has been planned since 2019, when the Keio University School of Medicine and Keio University Hospital were given clearance to start a clinical study into regenerative medicine for SCI.
However, recruitment to the trial was suspended after research begun in December 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Patient recruitment for a subsequent trial is expected to resume in April.
The first in-human use of an implantable pulse generator (IPG) has been made by ONWARD, stepping up its efforts to help change the futures for people with spinal cord injury (SCI).
Dr Jocelyne Bloch
The ARC IM IPG is designed to stimulate the spinal cord to restore movement and autonomic function for people with SCI and other conditions that impact mobility.
Its implantation into a human for the first time marks the start of patient enrolment in ONWARD’s HemON Study, which aims to enrol up to 16 participants at Switzerland’s Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), to evaluate the safety and preliminary efficacy of ARC IM therapy to improve blood pressure management and trunk control in people with SCI.
Orthostatic hypotension affects around 75 per cent of people with SCI, and is characterised by debilitatingly low blood pressure that may occur when people sit upright, stand, or change body position.
“ONWARD’s ARC IM IPG offers surgeons precision and flexibility never before available in an implantable neurostimulator,” said Dr Jocelyne Bloch, chief of functional neurosurgery at CHUV.
“Clinicians will be able to leverage these advanced capabilities to refine and deliver epidural stimulation therapies for people with spinal cord injury.”
The IPG and HemON Study build further on the progress of ONWARD in giving hope to people with SCI, with its STIMO-BRIDGE study showing the potential of its ARC IM technology through enabling paralysed people to regain the ability to walk, stand, swim and cycle, supported by intense rehabilitation.
Its Up-LIFT study, involving 14 leading SCI sites across the UK, United States, Canada and the Netherlands, is gathering the data to prove the efficacy of its ARC EX technology.
The ONWARD ARC IM IPG was purpose-designed to deliver targeted electrical stimulation to the spinal cord in the precise areas responsible for triggering or controlling movement and autonomic functions that may be affected by a spinal cord injury or neurodegenerative disorder.
The IPG is designed to operate in closed-loop, incorporating data from sensors or other devices that may be deployed inside or outside the body.
It is also designed to deliver therapy through an associated ARC IM lead with precision and flexibility, allowing clinicians to apply biomimetic stimulation that can closely replicate normal spinal cord activity patterns during mobility or autonomic function.
“The first implant of our ARC IM IPG is a huge milestone for ONWARD and the SCI community,” said Dave Marver, CEO of ONWARD.
“This important achievement validates our vision for a future in which clinicians will no longer need to struggle with modified pain stimulators to explore new treatments and instead will be able to use devices and therapies designed specifically to treat people with spinal cord injury and their unique needs.”
Internationally-known athletes and sports teams are spearheading the charge to secure teams of runners from around the world to take part in an event to raise vital funds for spinal cord research.
The Wings for Life World Run brings together people from around the world for an event on Sunday (May 8), where they all join together – physically or virtually, through use of an app – in support of the quest to find a cure for spinal cord injury.
More than 8,000 teams globally have already signed up for the run, with world-class athletes and teams also committing their support.
Liverpool and England footballer Trent Alexander-Arnold has committed his support to the Wings for Life World Run.
Although his playing schedule and Liverpool’s title challenge prevents him from taking part on the day, he urged others to show their support for the work of the Wings for Life Foundation, whose purpose is to find a cure for spinal cord injury, an area where a huge amount of progress is being achieved globally.
“After meeting Emerson Grant in 2019 I have wanted to work out ways to help raise awareness of Wings for Life,” he said.
“I want to get as many sign-ups for my team as possible to raise more money for Wings for Life to support their aim of finding a cure for spinal cord injury.”
Also throwing their support behind the Wings for Life World Run are two Formula-1 teams – Scuderia AlphaTauri and Oracle Red Bull Racing. The motorsport teams have been encouraging their large fan followings to sign up and take part in the global race for the good cause.
Two leading Greek athletes — Dimitris Kyrsanidis and Nikolas Plytas — and three Olympians from Norway – world record holder and Olympic gold medalist (110m hurdles) Karsten Warholm, double Olympic champion in cross-country skiing Petter Northug, and triathlete and Olympic champion Kristian Blummenfelt – will all be taking part.
Florian Neuschwander
German ultra runner and team captain Flo Neuschwander, who organised the largest team ever last year with 3,061 participants, is now looking to improve on his achievement.
“The Wings for Life World Run is a tremendous highlight for me every year. I feel like I’m always try to push myself beyond my limits in this event,” he said.
“In 2020, I managed to run the fastest pace ever in a race, even though I was running all by myself with the app.
“But to be honest my biggest goal at the Wings for Life World Run is to lead the biggest team again.
“Since 2016 the ‘Run with the Flow Team’ has been the winning team and last year we managed even to run 45,000 kilometers collectively, which means we actually ran one lap around the world together on race day.
“The more runners, the more donations – and that, along with being part of a super day of running, is the biggest goal for all of us who take part in this great event.”
The Wings for Life World Run enables people to run collectively, wherever they are in the world, at exactly the same time.
Participants run as far as possible until the Catcher Car passes them, with 100 per cent of the entry fee going into the work of the Wings for Life Foundation into spinal cord research.
A leading figure in neuroscience has joined the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation to help lead its mission to advance cures for spinal cord injury (SCI) and paralysis.
Dr Marco Baptista joins as Chief Scientific Officer and will provide scientific and innovative oversight of the nonprofit’s collaborative approach to accelerating the field toward meaningful therapeutics.
Dr Baptista joins the Reeve Foundation as it celebrates 40 years of progress and the seismic shift that it helped steer to move the field of SCI research to its current fast-developing state.
“What began as a grassroots movement by pioneers who refused to accept the long-standing dogma that the spinal cord, once injured, could never be repaired is today an exciting field primed to cross the critical threshold of laboratory science to real-world therapies widely available to our community,” said Maggie Goldberg, President and CEO of the Reeve Foundation.
“Dr Baptista brings a special blend of neuroscience acumen to our organization, our research collaborative and the community of people living with or caring for someone with SCI. His strong industry knowledge will move us from the bench to the bedside. We’re honored to have him aboard.”
Dr Baptista joins the Reeve Foundation from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, where he served as Vice President of Research Programs.
Dr Marco Baptista
In his decade with the Fox Foundation, he led priority research around LRRK2, a major genetic mutation that can increase the chances of developing Parkinson’s disease – an area of study that had also been the focus of his efforts in the pharmaceutical industry, where he spent five years working at Schering-Plough, and then Merck when it acquired the company in 2009.
“Joining the Reeve Foundation is a natural extension of my long and deep commitment both to studying the central nervous system and my desire to help people,” said Dr Baptista.
“With the Foundation’s reputation and impact in care and scientific research for those living with SCI, it’s an exciting place to be at the right moment in time.
“The Reeve Foundation took this field from obscurity to one of real promise. Now, thanks in part to its funding of basic research, we’ve generated a solid understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying SCI and paralysis, and the drive toward cures is not a hammer looking at all the world as a nail.
“Rather, we can identify the studies that stand the greatest chances of success, learn quickly from those that fail, and remove barriers to our greatest shared goal: long-awaited cures.”
In his new role, Dr Baptista will manage the Foundation’s research portfolio, which includes a number of high-profile endeavours with the potential to swiftly move the needle toward clinically approved and market-ready products. These include:
The Big Idea, a groundbreaking study at the University of Louisville investigating epidural stimulation to dramatically improve quality of life through improved cardiovascular health, bladder control, and other autonomic functions – and voluntary movement, including the previously impossible task of walking over ground. The trial is on track to be fully enrolled this summer.
Research-driven financial investments, such as a partnership with ONWARD, a Netherlands-based company that has developed breakthrough technology currently in global clinical trials that deliver targeted, programmed stimulation of the spinal cord to restore movement and other functions; and Axonis, an emerging biotech advancing breakthrough research to develop therapies for neurological disorders.
A strategic partnership with the UK’s International Spinal Research Trust (ISRT) to co-develop a research strategy with a joint focus on chronic injury, combination approaches and clinical translation. At the core of the alliance is a collaborative blueprint that aims to establish a framework for decision-making, planning and governance to advance the most promising therapies from the preclinical stage through clinical trials and into medical practice. Most recently, the Reeve Foundation and ISRT announced joint funding for a newly created translational award totaling $1.3 million, focused on restoring function in chronic SCI through novel circuit formation.
Support for the North American Clinical Trials Network (NACTN), a research network established by the Foundation that to date has enrolled more than 1000 subjects to a data registry; it also actively collaborates with other clinical trial networks in Europe and Canada. Dr. Baptista will liaise with the principal investigators leading this important, ongoing research.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
__cfduid
1 month
The cookie is used by cdn services like CloudFare to identify individual clients behind a shared IP address and apply security settings on a per-client basis. It does not correspond to any user ID in the web application and does not store any personally identifiable information.
_GRECAPTCHA
5 months 27 days
This cookie is set by Google. In addition to certain standard Google cookies, reCAPTCHA sets a necessary cookie (_GRECAPTCHA) when executed for the purpose of providing its risk analysis.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
This cookies is set by GDPR Cookie Consent WordPress Plugin. The cookie is used to remember the user consent for the cookies under the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
1 year
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
1 year
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Cookie
Duration
Description
_gat
1 minute
This cookies is installed by Google Universal Analytics to throttle the request rate to limit the colllection of data on high traffic sites.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Cookie
Duration
Description
_ga
2 years
This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gid
1 day
This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
iutk
5 months 27 days
This cookie is used by Issuu analytic system. The cookies is used to gather information regarding visitor activity on Issuu products.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Cookie
Duration
Description
NID
6 months
This cookie is used to a profile based on user's interest and display personalized ads to the users.
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
1 year
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
No description
lfuuid
9 years 11 months
Third party (Lead Forensics) cookie which enables us to track visitor behaviour on our site. Tracking is performed anonymously until a user identifies themselves by submitting a form.