Kang, et al. (2005). A 37-year-old spinal cord-injured female patient, transplanted of multipotent stem cells from human UC blood, with improved sensory perception and mobility, both functionally and morphologically: a case study.

[Wise Young]

This is publication of the report of the patient in Korea who received umbilical cord blood transplants.

Kang KS, Kim S, Oh Y, Yu J, Kim KY, Park H, Song CH and Han H (2005). A 37-year-old spinal cord-injured female patient, transplanted of multipotent stem cells from human UC blood, with improved sensory perception and mobility, both functionally and morphologically: a case study. Cytotherapy 7: 368-73. HLA-matched UC blood-derived multipotent stem cells were directly transplanted into the injured spinal cord site of a 37-year-old female patient suffering from spinal cord injury (SPI). In this case, human cord blood (UCB)-derived multipotent stem cells improved sensory perception and movement in the SPI patient's hips and thighs within 41 days of cell transplantation. CT and MRI results also showed regeneration of the spinal cord at the injured site and some of the cauda equina below it. Therefore, it is suggested that UCB multipotent stem cell transplantation could be a good treatment method for SPI patients. Laboratory of Stem Cell and Tumor Biology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Citation&list_uids=16162459

[lynnifer]

Wow ... isn't this the one we've been waiting for?

[Leo]

Wise is this really possible,

CT and MRI results also showed regeneration

[MikeC]

Wow, even improvement in the cauda equina. It seems like this would be worth pursuing . . . Mike

[Leif]

This should be breaking news. Should it not? Wise please explain the study.

[shelley]

Is this the woman 19 years post injury??

[DA]

whats the catch? 20 years more research is needed? she wasn't paralyzed before the treatment? or wait a week and we will all forget about it.

[Wise Young]

Wise is this really possible,

CT and MRI results also showed regeneration

Leo, I am so glad that you asked this question. In my opinion, MRI cannot show regeneration. What it does show is the presence of tissue. I think that they are presuming "regeneration" from the increased signals that may be present in the roots. Such increases of signals may mean that there is more myelin but I am very skeptical that this is evidence of regeneration. I have not seen the full paper yet. This is just an abstract of the paper written by the authors, from PubMed. Wise.

[Wise Young]

This is the case report of a woman who had a low thoracic spinal cord injury and was said to be paralyzed and unable to walk. They showed an MRI scan of the patient's spinal cord before the surgery, which seemed to my eye be compressed. They did a laminectomy which may have decompressed the spinal cord. They then injected nucleated cells isolated from HLA-matched umbilical cord blood into the spinal cord. They had press conferences showing that the patient standing and taking steps with KAFO (knee, ankle, foot orthoses) and using a walker. I don't know the extent to which the patient tried walking before the surgery but with KAFO support and a walker, the patient does not have to have substantial motor control in order to stand and walk. According to this abstract, the patient may have regained some proximal muscle control, i.e. the hip flexor, and some sensory improvement.

Wise.

[Lindox]

Wouldn't it be advantageous to use this method on a cord that has been decompressed long before the use of the CB or any of the other cell factors? And then compare the results. There has to be some qualified models of this type..Isn't there?

[manouli]

I found this talking about the samething.


http://www.reason.com/rb/rb120104.shtml

[The mom]

Don't know if this applies to SCI since the patient disease is different and may be the cause of the problem, but....

"Subject: ViaCell Suspends Enrollment in CB001 Phase I Clinical Trial

ViaCell Suspends Enrollment in CB001 Phase I Clinical Trial
Monday September 19, 7:35 am ET


CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ViaCell, Inc.
(Nasdaq: VIAC - News) today announced that it has suspended
enrollment in its Phase I clinical trial of CB001, an
investigational cord blood stem cell product for hematopoietic stem
cell transplantation being studied for the treatment of a variety of
cancers. Of the eight patients who have completed treatment in the
study, two experienced Grade IV acute graft-versus-host-disease, or
aGVHD, a known potential side effect in transplantation. Both
patients have recovered from the aGVHD, however, under the study
protocol, the occurrence of two cases calls for a suspension of
enrollment in the trial. The Company will review these cases and
relevant data with the FDA and the institutional review boards for
the clinical trial sites as part of obtaining their agreement to
continue enrollment."

[Wise Young]

Wouldn't it be advantageous to use this method on a cord that has been decompressed long before the use of the CB or any of the other cell factors? And then compare the results. There has to be some qualified models of this type..Isn't there?

Lindox, the Korean investigators have announced that they are seeking permission to transplant umbilical cord blood cells into more patients. That is what is necessary. By the way, a news report (I don't have time to dig it up but it is posted on this forum) indicated that they transplanted a second set of cord blood cells into that patient several months ago. I think the answer is a well-run clinical trial of a sufficient number of patients with well-documented spinal cord injury. Several groups (including us) are transplanting umbilical cord blood stem cells into rats with contused spinal cord injury. The answer will come out soon.

Wise.

[Jessecj7]

WOW, thats a long title....

[k123m]

:mad: I couldn't believe this result, because from other website they told us that this therapy had no use to the most patients.
you can see it from the follows:
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200503/18/200503182231162009900090409041.html

[k123m]

I couldn't believe this ,you can see another article.
come from: http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200503/18/200503182231162009900090409041.html
Once hopeless patients seeking genetic miracles






First in a seriesMarch 19, 2005 ㅡ Park Seung-yu, a 34-year-old with a spinal injury that left him paralyzed, becomes excited when he reads articles about Hwang Woo-suk, a genetics professor at Seoul National University. Mr. Park attends every lecture by Mr. Hwang, and he is not the only one. Mr. Hwang's lectures are attended by many who suffer from incurable conditions or diseases.
Last year, Mr. Hwang successfully produced embryonic stem cells from a cloned human embryo, making headlines around the world. It is widely hoped that the cells may one day be used to cure any number of chronic or terminal illnesses.
After the news of the breakthrough, Mr. Park and others who are struggling with their health felt they now faced a brighter future.
Physicians around the country report that patients persistently demand to know when they can undergo stem cell treatments, despite the still-experimental nature of the research.
Mr. Hwang himself has warned against too much optimism.
"From time to time, we hear news about stem cell treatments' successes around the world, but we are only at the stage of confirming the possibility of effective medical uses," the scientist said. "To make the treatments widely accepted, we have to go through a lot of steps. We have to obtain cells of specific organs from stem cells and then conduct animal tests to ensure safety. We also have to do clinical tests. We have a long way to go."
Experts say that Korea's medical technology, with very few exceptions, is far behind that used in the advanced countries. Though the Ministry of Science and Technology says Korean researchers are acclaimed around the world for cloning embryonic stem cells, Korea's adult stem cell research lags behind that of advanced countries.
"Stem cell research has been earthshaking for the medical community, reshaping the paradigm of medical technologies, but the people and the government must provide broad, steady support so Korean scientists to focus on their work," said Professor Oh Il-hwan, head of the Institute of Cell and Gene Therapy of the Catholic Medical Center, a hospital affiliated with the Medical School of the Catholic University of Korea.
Korea plans to invest 10 billion won ($10 million) a year over the next decade in genetics research, but not all the funds will go into the stem cell studies. In contrast, the state of California will invest $300 million a year for the next decade in stem cell research alone.
Korean genetic scientists said what troubles them is not the lack of funding, but the high expectations of the public, and patients in particular.
Seo Wu-hyeon, 63, suffers from multiple sclerosis, a disease that affects the brain and spinal cord, leading to fatigue, weakness, numbness and other problems. Mr. Seo said he spent 20 million won seeking stem cell therapy at a clinic in Korea, but his condition deteriorated radically after the treatment.
Mr. Seo filed a suit against the clinic and a supplier of the stem cells. The case was joined by nine other patients who faced similar problems.
A survey by the JoongAng Ilbo conducted in January revealed the difference in how researchers and terminal patients perceive stem cell treatment. Among the 1,030 surveyed participants, genetic scientists specialized in embryonic stem cells said therapeutic use of stem cells will not be possible for at least three years. In contrast, 35 percent of the patients polled said they expected treatment with the therapy within three years.
During the last year, the Korea Food and Drug Administration approved treatment with stem cells for 30 patients. The administration eased the regulations governing clinical uses of stem cells in July to encourage research.
Before the revisions, stem cell transplants in Korea were almost unheard of.
The government body estimated that about 400 cases of autologous stem cell transplants were conducted in Korea last year, because such procedures do not require the administration's approval. The Food and Drug Administration, however, said there had not been enough clinical studies in stem cell techniques to make the therapy widely available.
Researchers who have knowledge in the field are even more prudent. A neural recovery project team at Inha University's medical school gave autologous stem cell transplants to 11 patients suffering from spinal cord injuries. Of the six patients, whose spinal cords were injured less than two weeks before receiving the transplants, five patients showed signs of neural recovery. Yang Seok-ju, a 43-year-old patient who could not even sit on a wheelchair, was able to do push-ups after the therapy.
Park Hyeong-cheon, the leader of the medical research team, however, is cautious in explaining the outcome. "We were not able to clearly prove how the stem cell transplant is related with the recovery," Dr. Park cautioned.
"It has been only about five years since stem cell research has been actively pursued in Korea," said Professor Oh with the Catholic University of Korea's medical school. "But, many patients misunderstand and believe that the therapy is available."


by Special Reporting Team <myoja@joongang.co.kr (myoja@joongang.co.kr)>

[Leif]

Are there any more news on this one – I can see that the PubMed article still says "in Process"?

[Wise Young]

k123,

The article that you posted refers to three different kinds of stem cell transplants.

1. Umbilical cord blood. This is the study from Kang, et al.who transplanted human umbilical cord blood stem cell transplant. They took an HLA-matched unit of umbilical cord blood, obtained nucleated cells, and transplanted the cells into the patient. Within 6 weeks after the transplant, the patient apparently had some return of sensation and movement in the hip.

2. Bone marrow stem cells. The article suggests that there have been over 400 transplants involving "autologous" cells which is likely to refer to bone marrow. I posted the abstract on one study of from Inha Univeresity in Inchon by Park, et al. who transplanted bone marrow stem cells from the same patient (autologous) into five patients plus GM-CSF (a growth factor). One patient received only growth factor. Apparently 4 of the patients went from ASIA A to C (return of motor function to 1 to 3 in less than 50% of the muscles in the legs) and one patient went from ASIA A to ASIA B (sensation only).

3. Embryonic stem cells. The third refers to the work of Woo-Suk Hwang who had cloned 11 embryonic stem cell lines and 9 of these come from people with spinal cord injury. Please note that they have not transplanted these cells into any of the patients yet. Also, it should be noted the cloned stem cells would not be appropriate for people with genetic diseases since that would be transplanting cells that still have the genetic disease.

Wise.

[k123m]

the paper told us that "CT and MRI results also showed regeneration of the spinal cord at the injured site and some of the cauda equina below it." But as many people know, normally we couldn't see spinal cord. If he made a lie in this problem, I don't know how much extent I can believe his results.:nono: