Newly Invented Human Spinal Cord Implants Treat Paralysis

Researchers engineered 3D human spinal cord tissues and implanted them in a lab model with long-term chronic paralysis.

Functional human spinal cord tissues from human materials and cells were implanted in lab models that featured chronic paralysis and successfully restored walking abilities in 80% of tests.

This technology was invented by researchers from Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology. The results of the study were published in the prestigious scientific journal Advanced Science.

Spinal Cord Injury - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment & Prevention
Spinal cord injury is an injury to the spinal cord that results in temporary or permanent changes in its function.

‘Breakthrough technology uses patient tissue samples to transform it into a functioning spinal cord implant.’

The researchers: "Our goal for the next few years is to engineer personalized spinal cord implants to repair tissue damaged from injury without the risk of implant rejection”.

The results were highly encouraging: an approximately 80% success rate in restoring walking abilities. Now the researchers are preparing for the next stage of the study: clinical trials in human patients.

They hope that within a few years the engineered tissues will be implanted in paralyzed individuals enabling them to stand up and walk again.

Paralysis - Types, Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention
Paralysis is a condition where there is a loss of muscle function as well as sensory loss, which can occur due to damage to the brain or spinal cord. Paralysis treatment involves supportive care and rehabilitation.

There are millions of people around the world who are paralyzed due to spinal injury, and there is still no effective treatment for their condition.

Individuals injured at a very young age are destined to sit in a wheelchair for the rest of their lives, bearing all the social, financial, and health-related costs of paralysis.

Hemiplegia - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention
Hemiplegia is a condition that is characterized by paralysis of one half of the body, usually due to a brain lesion on the opposite side. It may be congenital (cerebral palsy) or acquired later in life due to illness.

To overcome these difficulties, researchers invented personalized spinal cord implants for every paralyzed person, enabling regeneration of the damaged tissue with no risk of rejection.

This technology is based on taking a small biopsy of belly fat tissue from the patient. This tissue, like all tissues in our body, consists of cells together with an extracellular matrix (comprising substances like collagens and sugars).

Spinal Injury - Symptom Evaluation
Spinal Injury refers to damage to spinal cord that runs below the brain through the back. Injury to spinal cord is a severe injury as the damage is irreversible and it can be life-threatening.

After separating the cells from the extracellular matrix, researchers used genetic engineering to reprogram the cells, reverting them to a state that resembles embryonic stem cells – namely cells capable of becoming any type of cell in the body.

Later, they encapsulated the stem cells in the hydrogel, and in a process that mimics the embryonic development of the spinal cord, we turned the cells into 3D implants of neuronal networks containing motor neurons.

The human spinal cord implants were then implanted in lab models, divided into two groups: those who had only recently been paralyzed (the acute model) and those who had been paralyzed for a long time – equivalent to a year in human terms (the chronic model).

Following the implantation, 100% of the lab models with acute paralysis and 80% of those with chronic paralysis regained their ability to walk.

This is the first instance in the world in which implanted engineered human tissues have generated recovery in an animal model for long-term chronic paralysis – which is the most relevant model for paralysis treatments in humans.

Based on the revolutionary organ engineering technology developed researchers are in the aim of making spinal cord implant treatments commercially available for persons suffering from paralysis.

Source-Medindia