The US biotech company Geron has begun an early-stage clinical trial of a stem-cell-based treatment for spinal injury. On Monday 11th October, Geron announced the enrollment of the first patient in the trial.
This is the first clinical trial to use cells derived from human embryonic stem cells in patients. The aim of this early study is to establish whether the approach is safe. If the trial is a success, a great deal more work will be needed to determine whether the treatment is really effective and could be widely used.
Embryonic stem cells can’t be used directly to treat patients because they can form tumours called teratomas. Instead, the embryonic stem cells will be used to make a type of cell called oligodendrocyte progenitor cells. These cells will be injected into the spine in a small number of patients who have been paralysed by very recent spinal cord injuries.
For Prof. Brüstle, stem cell scientist at the University of Bonn, the Geron study has pros and cons. He gave us this statement:
On the one hand, approval of this study indicates that countries such as the US move fast in translating results from basic stem cell research into potential therapies – a process, which is delayed by political debates in many other countries. On the other hand, Brüstle has reservations with respect to the actual goal of the study. The problem in acute spinal cord injury is the severing of thousands of nerve fibers. The affected nerve cells cannot be replaced by the grafted stem cells. Rather, the cells are supposed to release factors, which have a positive influence on the healing process – a strategy which might also be accomplished by pharmaceutical treatment. In addition, Brüstle sees significant risks with respect to potential side affects such as uncontrolled growth of the implanted cells. “Clearly there is more behind the study than mere biomedical reasons. There is also the aspect of first-to-market”, Brüstle says.
Further information
Visit the Geron news release about the trial
More about spinal injury on EuroStemCell's Frequently Asked Questions page
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