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Embryonic Stem Cell Trials Could Lead to Spinal Cord Injury Cure

The Food and Drug Administration has cleared embryonic stem cell experiments on human beings with spinal cord injuries.  A California- based company will soon begin the stem cell trials, believed to be the first of their kind in the world.

The company Geron Corp. of Menlo Park has been conducting stem cell experiments on rats.  However, during some of these experiments, the rats developed cysts.  The Food and Drug Administration placed a hold on the trials.  This week, Geron Corporation announced that the Food and Drug Administration had lifted its hold on the trials.  Specifically, this means that the company can now begin experiments using GRNPOC1 line of human embryo cells, in the treatment of patients who suffer from spinal cord injury, as well as patients who suffer from other conditions.

The stem cell trials involve injection of embryonic stem cells into the damaged spinal cord site.  Researchers are hoping to spark the growth of nerves that are required to transmit signals along the human spine. Geron says it is also looking at using the clinical trials in order to develop cures for Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis and other conditions.

The pilot study will involve a group of patients with spinal cord injury who will receive the embryonic stem cells, 7 to 14 days after they suffer the injury.  In this pilot stage, the focus will be on judging whether the treatment is safe, rather than how effective it is.

The announcement of the approval for the stem cell clinical trials has been greeted with great pleasure by spinal cord injury victims and California spinal cord injury lawyers.  These are still the early days of the trial and there are many hurdles to cross before we actually find out whether stem cell therapy could be the spinal cord injury cure that patients have been waiting for.  There are currently very limited therapies for a spinal cord injury.  For millions of Americans who suffer from and live with a spinal cord injury, a successful trial could be a revolutionary breakthrough.  What is very encouraging about stem cell therapy is the ability of these cells to change into any kind of cells.  Researchers at Geron will depend on this versatility of the stem cells in order to spark growth of the nerves.

The use of embryonic stem cells in the treatment of spinal cord injuries and a variety of other illnesses has turned into a political issue over the past few years.  This is doubtlessly a controversial treatment program, but in the field of acute spinal cord injury treatment, where patients have very little hope for regaining movement of their limbs, stem cell therapy could provide a way forward.

Spinal cord injuries typically occur during auto and truck accidents.  They may also result from motorcycle and bicycle collisions.  These kinds of injuries can also often be seen in slip and fall accidents when a person falls foot-first from A great height.  Other possible factors could include sports injuries, assaults and violence.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of spinal cord injuries. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not representing any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

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