American and Japanese scientists repair injured spinal cord and stroke survivors using patients’ own stem cells

[KILZ FILLZ]

article:
https://news.yale.edu/2021/02/22/yale-scientists-repair-injured-spinal-cord-using-patients-own-stem-cells
 

Research paper:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0303846721000925

original title:

Yale scientists repair injured spinal cord using patients’ own stem cells

 

Intravenous injection of bone marrow derived stem cells (MSCs) in patients with spinal cord injuries led to significant improvement in motor functions, researchers from Yale University and Japan report Feb. 18 in the Journal of Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery.

 

For more than half of the patients, substantial improvements in key functions — such as ability to walk, or to use their hands — were observed within weeks of stem cell injection, the researchers report. No substantial side effects were reported.

 

The patients had sustained, non-penetrating spinal cord injuries, in many cases from falls or minor trauma, several weeks prior to implantation of the stem cells. Their symptoms involved loss of motor function and coordination, sensory loss, as well as bowel and bladder dysfunction. The stem cells were prepared from the patients’ own bone marrow, via a culture protocol that took a few weeks in a specialized cell processing center. The cells were injected intravenously in this series, with each patient serving as their own control. Results were not blinded and there were no placebo controls.

 

Yale scientists Jeffery D. Kocsis, professor of neurology and neuroscience, and Stephen G. Waxman, professor of neurology, neuroscience and pharmacology, were senior authors of the study, which was carried out with investigators at Sapporo Medical University in Japan. Key investigators of the Sapporo team, Osamu Honmou and Masanori Sasaki, both hold adjunct professor positions in neurology at Yale.

 

 Kocsis and Waxman stress that additional studies will be needed to confirm the results of this preliminary, unblinded trial. They also stress that this could take years. Despite the challenges, they remain optimistic. culmination of extensive preclinical laboratory work using MSCs between Yale and Sapporo colleagues

 

Similar results with stem cells in patients with stroke increases our confidence that this approach may be clinically useful,” noted Kocsis. “This clinical study is the culmination of extensive preclinical laboratory work using MSCs between Yale and Sapporo colleagues over many years.” 

 

“The idea that we may be able to restore function after injury to the brain and spinal cord using the patient’s own stem cells has intrigued us for years,” Waxman said. “Now we have a hint, in humans, that it may be possible.”

[KILZ FILLZ]

Curious if the stroke patients also regain control of their faces. Drooping face after stroke is incredibly tragic

 

using patients own stem cells removed the controversy of fetus stem cells, I think? I guess it’s almost safe to say all that push back was worth it (?)

 

what a time to be alive! So many exciting advancements 

 

what do you guys think?

[mr.yuck]

This is truly amazing. I was listening to a similar story a few months ago about scientists that are starting to unlock how the 'clock' in cells work. They found they were able to turn the clock back in ocular cells in people that had become blind. The cells propagated and the patients regained their eye sight using their own cells just dusted off a little bit.

[KILZ FILLZ]

52 minutes ago, mr.yuck said:

This is truly amazing. I was listening to a similar story a few months ago about scientists that are starting to unlock how the 'clock' in cells work. They found they were able to turn the clock back in ocular cells in people that had become blind. The cells propagated and the patients regained their eye sight using their own cells just dusted off a little bit.

that sounds amazing 

 imagine being that person that gets their sight back

[mr.yuck]

@KILZ FILLZthe implication is a life free from death of old age. They said the tricky thing to overcome was turning back the clock too far. Once the clock was turned back too far the cells continue to replicate without dying off which is basically what cancer is. They would be responsible for developmental growth in children. They said at a certain point cells know when youve gotten big enough and basically turn off.

[Dirty_habiT]

The thing that scares me most about these amazing advancements is that once they can keep people alive indefinitely then the need to "cull the heard" becomes realized shortly after.  That's a time in which I would prefer to not live.

[mr.yuck]

I would be excited to live in a world where people would have to live to see the long term  consequences of their actions instead of 'yoloing' out after 70 years.

[KILZ FILLZ]

I’m just tying to get some stem cells injected in my bad knees/ankles/shoulder a la Kobe Bryant and Peyton Manning circa 2008

[Dirty_habiT]

^^Lol can't knock that hustle.