Today’s fast pace of life leads to more accidents. Every day we see hundreds of them in the media and no one is free from being involved in one. Many people become paraplegic after an accident. That is, with a chronic paralysis from part of the trunk, involving the pelvis and legs.
There is hope for a cure for chronic paralysis
Upon damage to the spinal cord, paraplegia becomes irreversible. However, a team of scientists at Tel Aviv University succeeded in reversing this situation in mice. The tests carried out on rodents had an 80% success rate. This is encouraging for people who have been living in a wheelchair for years.
The team belongs to the Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology at Tel Aviv University. They created functional bone marrow tissue and transplanted it into chronically paralyzed rodents. Since it is human tissue, the patient’s body does not reject it. This is a technology that has been successfully implanted for the first time. The technique is based on taking a small biopsy of adipose tissue from the patient’s belly.
how is the new treatment developed?
According to lead researcher Dr. Tal Dvir, they separate the cells from the extracellular matrix. They reprogram the cells through genetic engineering and bring them to an embryonic stem cell-like state. These cells are capable of becoming any type of cell in the body.
A customized hydrogel is then prepared for each patient. They produce it from their cell tissue and then implant it. This leads to no immune system rejection after transplantation.
The results had an excellent response in rodents. The implants were performed in two different groups. Those that had recently become paralyzed and those that had been chronically paralyzed for at least one year.
Rodents suffering from acute paralysis, i.e., it was a recent problem, recovered 100%. Those suffering from chronic paralysis, 80% of them recovered. In other words, most of them recovered their ability to walk.
Science may hold the solution for millions of people
This is the first time in history that human tissue has generated recovery in animals with chronic or acute paralysis. The next step is to perform this same procedure in humans. Since the implant comes from the same patient, it does not produce rejection. A hope for the millions of people suffering from paraplegia in the world.
The intervening medical team has already contacted the FDA, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. They submitted a preclinical program there. As this is a technologically advanced treatment in regenerative medicine, they hope for its prompt approval. Especially since to date there is no alternative treatment for patients with paralysis.
