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News coming from Japan may offer a new chance for spinal injury victims, as teams of researchers from several universities have announced that they have been successful in repairing the damaged spinal cords in mice using stem cell technology.

The research teams, led by Professor Hideyuki Okano of Keio University and Professor Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University have recently published the results of experiments to use iPS (induced pluripotent stem cells) to repair damage to the delicate and vital spinal cord of mice. iPS cells are sourced from adult cells rather than embryonic cells and until recently researchers have faced difficulties in using these types of stem cells. The iPS cells tended to grow uncontrollably, causing tumours to form where they were implanted. The new research from Japan shows that the rate of growth can be controlled by transplanting the iPS cells into the brains of the mice and monitoring their growth for six months.

The healthy cells were then harvested and injected into the damaged spinal cord of a mouse nine days after injury. The mouse, which had lost all mobility in its back legs, soon recovered the ability to use its legs. Although there are still obstacles to overcome with this form of treatment (most notably the ‘growing’ of cells in a brain), it could form the basis of further research and hopefully, human trials later on that could prove to be a major step forward in the effective treatment of spinal injury cases. “There’s still a great deal to do before this becomes a viable treatment for humans,” says Paul Breen, of specialist serious injury solicitors Serious Law. “But the fact that the iPS treatment has been shown to have positive results in the laboratory is a great foundation for expanding the research into more human-friendly treatment methods. Stem cell research is still in its infancy, but with positive results coming in like this, there may be some claim to be cautiously optimistic for an effective treatment within the next few years,” he adds.

Controversial but vital research

Stem cell research has been the cause of considerable controversy due to the nature of ‘harvesting’ cells for use in treatments. But if a way of reproducing the iPS cells without either the runaway multiplication effect or having to use a less than convenient method of growing the cells can be developed, this could help the research move forward towards human trials. “Up until this research came out, iPS cells were thought to be unusable because of their tendency to grow uncontrollably and result in the development of tumours,” says Paul of Serious Law. “This research only tackled the issue of whether iPS cells would actually be effective, not how to grow or harvest the cells initially. They have proven that the cells work. Now it’s up to the scientific community to take this research and run with it. It’s vitally important work, as it could offer those whose lives have been devastated by spinal injuries to recover far more control over their bodies than before. It could even possibly offer an effective ‘cure’ for spinal damage, but that still remains to be proven in human test subjects rather than just lab mice,” he concludes.

Whatever happens next, the Japanese research has caused a buzz in the medical and scientific communities and could offer a lifeline to spinal injury victims all over the world.

July 27, 2010 (Response Source)