Spinal cord injuries could be repaired by stem cell-based therapy

Research fronted by scientists at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine (UCSD; CA, USA) has revealed that a first-in-human, Phase I clinical trial in which neural stem cells were transplanted into participants with chronic spinal cord injuries produced measurable improvement – with no serious adverse effects reported. According to Joseph Ciacci (UCSD), the principal investigator of the study published in Cell Stem Cell, the primary purpose of this first trial was to assess safety. “Our results suggest the approach can be performed safely and early signs of efficacy warrant further exploration and dose escalation studies,” Ciacci commented....