SEARCH FOR SCI CURE: Japan to launch groundbreaking clinical trials

There could be a new form of treatment in Japan for spinal cord injuries if a newly-approved clinical trial hits the mark. A special committee of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in Japan approved a clinical research program at Tokyo’s Keio University to use induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells to treat spinal cord injuries. According to the Nikkei Asian Review, this is a groundbreaking first-of-its-kind study expected to begin this summer.

Four patients over the age of 18 will receive the experimental treatment. Each of these patients has suffered an injury to the spinal cord. As a result of those injuries, each of the four patients has lost sensation and mobility in their bodies. The trial will attempt to take the induced pluripotent stem cells and grow them into nerve cells. The Japanese research team will transplant two million of these new nerve cells into the injured areas of each patient via injection in hopes of inducing a response. The patients will also be given immunosuppressant drugs to prevent rejection of the transplanted cells.

The study will be checking for safety and efficacy of the experiment, so don’t get too excited as the results of this research are not likely to be known for several years. You can read more about this trial HERE.