Myelin Repair for
Nerve Damage and Paralysis with Spinal Cord Stem Cell Transplants
July 19th, 2006
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A study from the University of California Irvine along with colleagues
at the Reeve-Irvine Research Center shows that using stem cells to
repair spinal cord injuries and damage do not cause further damage. The
research was first reported in the current issue of Regenerative
Medicine.
“Establishing the safety of implanted embryonic stem cells is crucial
before we can move forward with testing these treatments in clinical
trials,” said Hans Keirstead, an associate professor of anatomy and
neurobiology and co-director of UCI’s Stem Cell Research Center. “We
must always remember that a human clinical trial is an experiment and,
going into it, we need to assure ourselves as best as we can that the
treatment will not cause harm. This study is an important step in that
direction.”
In this study, the researchers found that rats with mild or severe
spinal cord injuries were able to receive therapy treatment that
originated from human embryonic stem cells. The rats did not show and
visible injury or any ill side effects due to the treatment. This study
further confirms the same results as it has been replicated by four
other laboratories around the world.
Kerstead’s lab was the first to isolate oligodendrocytes, which are
highly pure specialized that come from human embryonic stem cells.
Oligodendrocytes are the building block of myelin, which are a cover for
the nerve fibers and is necessary for regulating the electrical pulses
in the central nervous system. Paralysis can occur when the myelin is
removed or destroyed through disease or injury.
This study replicated what first occurred in the orginal study. The
rats that had sever spinal cord injuries were injected with the
oligodendrocytes seven days after they had been injured. The
specialized cells were transported to the locations in the spinal cord
that were then able to wrap around the damaged neurons allowing for new
myelin tissue to grow again.
The rats that were only mildly impaired did not show any improvement or
worsening in myelin. Their condition seemed unchanged after the
transplant of the oligodendrocytes. Keirstead reported that these
injuries were so minor that there was no loss of myelin and was the
reason there were no benefit for this group of rats. There was no
damage caused by the treatment surrounding the spinal cord.
“Our biggest safety concern was that in the case of a severe injury, any
harm the stem cell-derived treatment could cause would be masked by the
injury itself,” Keirstead said. “In this study, we can see in animals
that are only slightly injured that the transplantation does not cause
visible harm and the injury is not hiding any damage the cells may have
caused to the spinal cord or the surrounding tissue.”
Keirstead is currently working with Geron Corporation to help get Phase
I clinical trials for acute spinal cord injuries by next year.
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