New information emerges about upcoming umbilical cord blood stem cell clinical trials

Dr. Wise Young

Back in April, NorCal SCI sponsored an open house featuring Dr. Wise Young, a renowned researcher at Rutgers University in New Jersey who has been pursuing developing potential ways to recover function in individuals with a chronic spinal cord injury.  He has been approved by the FDA to conduct a clinical trial in the U.S. following a highly successful trial in China.  You can read about this trial HERE. Though we reported on his work and presentation at the open house, many questions remained unanswered for the SCI community, including additional explanation and clarification that his work needed.

At a recent open house held at Rutgers, Dr. Young and a couple of colleagues shared some updates and changes made to the trials but more importantly, the Q&A part of the meeting was more revealing.  You can read all about it HERE.

TO APPLY FOR ENROLLMENT IN THIS CLINICAL TRIAL: The FDA has granted approval for this clinical trial, and later this year, they will begin a trial with 27 subjects. In order to qualify for this trial, you must have a complete injury between C5 and T11, be injured more than 1 year, 18-64 yrs old. Neurosurgeons are reluctant to inject above C5 because of the phrenic nucleus which if damaged, it could result in diaphragm paralysis preventing the individual from being able to regulate breathing on his or her own. Dr Young plans to have a separate trial for high quads after this one. There is no cost to participate in a clinical trial, but if selected, you would have to cover the cost of lodging and transportation in NJ for 6 months. Send e-mail to Jim Bennett at jimbenn@rutgers.edu who will add you to his list to be alerted when recruitment begins in a month or two.