Human Neurons Help Repair Spinal Cord Injuries

Jeremy · 07-10-2002, 07:47 AM

Human Neurons Help Repair Spinal Cord Injuries

Tue Jul 9,11:50 PM ET
By Kathleen Doheny
HealthScoutNews Reporter

TUESDAY, July 9 (HealthScoutNews) -- Human neurons cloned from a human cell line have helped repair injured spinal cords in animals, a University of South Florida team reports.

While the use of the neurons for human spinal cord injury is several years away, the researchers say the work is promising.

"This is really the first step," says lead author Samuel Saporta, the associate director of the University of South Florida Center for Aging and Brain Repair. "We might be able to do some human trials in five or six years."

The study appears in the current issue of the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine.

About 200,000 Americans are living with spinal cord injury, and 11,000 more suffer a spinal cord injury each year, according to the Foundation for Spinal Cord Injury Prevention, Care & Cure.

When the damage occurs, people can lose sensation and, depending on the injury site, control over routine bodily functions. Injuries usually crush thin extensions of the nerve cells called axons, which are surrounded by the vertebrae. Axons carry electrical signals along the spinal cord, sending sensory information and information to control movement. Scientists are still trying to figure out the best way to repair damaged spinal cord tissue.

Saporta's team used hNT neurons, the same type that led to the first transplant to repair brain damage caused by strokes. These hNT neurons, or human neuroteratocarcinoma, are derived from a rare human cancer that includes rapidly dividing cells that can then turn into neurons -- but not back into cancer cells.

Saporta's team evaluated 34 rats in all: one group that received transplants right after the injury; another group that received them two weeks later; and a control group that received no transplants.

"Once transplanted, the cells appear to graft and take the place of the injured cells," Saporta says. All seven animals in the delayed group recovered activity in the neurons that control muscle movement, while only two of the nine in the immediate transplant group recovered. The untreated animals had no improvement.

Delaying the transplant, the researchers speculate, leads to better recovery because the immune system might be less hostile.

"There are basically two strategies in spinal cord repair," Saporta says. "One is to try to get the damaged axons that come from the higher center of the brain to reconnect past the area of injury and reconnect with the motor neurons that cause movement."

"The strategy our research has taken is to form a bridge between the two injured areas of spinal cord, and perhaps we can have the spinal cord relearn with its existing connections how to cause movement. The bridge is the transplanted neurons. We demonstrated the transplanted cells actually engraft, or take up residence, and send out axons and electrically connect," he says.

Other researchers have done the same research with human fetal cells, Saporta adds, but the neurons in the Florida research were derived from a human cell line.

"This cell line is already approved by the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( news - web sites)] for transplant into stroke patients," he says.

The good news for spinal-cord injured patients hoping for treatment?

"We're closer," Saporta says. "The bad news is we don't know how close we are. There are a number of studies that need to be done."

Another expert in the field calls the study "interesting," but also has some caveats.

"The study involves adequate numbers of animals, and the results appear quite dramatic," says Dr. Michael Selzer, a professor of neurology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Selzer is a former consultant for Layton BioScience Inc., which holds the license for hNT neuron transplantation technology, and Saporta is also a consultant.

The caveat, Selzer says, is the authors have not demonstrated adequately exactly how the transplanted cells are functioning.

However, it's a promising cell line, he says: "The spinal cord often doesn't like to accept stem cells [immature, undifferentiated cells], and turn them into neurons. This cell line is already neurons."

What To Do

For information on spinal cord injury, see the Foundation for Spinal Cord Injury Prevention, Care & Cure or the National Institutes of Health.

"If the wind could blow my troubles away. I'd stand in front of a hurricane."

DA · 07-10-2002, 08:27 AM

5-6 years to start trials....
5-6 years to complete trials and get fda approval.
by 2014 we will have a cure...3 cheers for the good ole usa.

what airlines fly to taiwan?

claude · 07-10-2002, 10:43 AM

oh thats nice, if we leave we will be outlaws in the usa if we stay we can have more bodily harm take place by the time it is "o.k." with the usa. i will gladly trade my citizenship for legs that i could use to stand up and flip off george bush, mr. brownback and the rest of the detractors. save me a seat DA

mk99 · 07-10-2002, 12:30 PM

I read with great excitement the hNT neurons and their effects on repairing (at least partially) rat spinal cords. I have had a spinal cord injury for 2 years now. (T4 complete)

My excitement quickly turned into disillusioment when I read the part about human trials may start in 5 to 6 years. You have a cell line here that is already approved for human transplants. Clearly it's safe. I cannot, absolutely CANNOT comprehend WHY it would take 5 or 6 years to begin a phase 1 trial.

I'm not sure that the Scientific Community understands the sense of urgency in the Spinal Cord Injury community. We live a truly living hell day in and day out. 10% of us die each year from complications or suicide. You cannot possibly comprehend the horrors we go through daily. Living your life in terror of bowel/bladder, virtually no sex life, constant pain, pressure sores, bladder infections, kidney failure, etc, etc.

Can you please tell me why it will take this long to begin human trials? Will more funding help? I would gladly donate... please don't let me spend another decade living like this when a big piece of the puzzle could be well within your reach.

One more thing. The newspaper article writes: "The caveat, Selzer says, is the authors have not demonstrated adequately exactly how the transplanted cells are functioning"

The FDA requires proof of efficacy and safety NOT a play by play analysis of what each axon is doing & why.

Please reconsider your timelines. As a fellow human being suffering incredible agony every second of my life, I beg you to move quickly to human trials.

[This message was edited by mkowalski99 on Jul 10, 2002 at 03:45 PM.]

angel7 · 07-10-2002, 04:18 PM

Mk..

I'm totally with you - great letter. Please give me an address for Dr. Saporta so I can also write my frustrations.

Thanks,

Deb

cboy · 07-10-2002, 05:52 PM

The first step was years ago.Does it take five freakn years to take another step?
cboy

LIFE IS A DARING ADVENTURE,ON NOTHING!

mk99 · 07-10-2002, 06:38 PM

Bruno & Dimitry: if this hNT neurons line is approved and determined to be safe, I wonder if you could incorporate this into the trials you intend to run in Russia?

I don't know if someone "owns" the line and you have to license it... regardless you may want to look into it.

Deb, the email address that I found is:

ssaporta@hsc.usf.edu

angel7 · 07-11-2002, 03:43 PM

mk99,

Thanks for the e-mail address. I sent him a letter today.

Deb

Dmitriy · 07-12-2002, 07:13 AM

How are these hNT neurons different from the ones that other teams use? Do they come from adult stem cells? If so, the Russian team is going to use those. And from my own experience, mice experiments have nothing to do with humans--almost anything works in mice.

Dmitriy

mk99 · 07-12-2002, 08:25 AM

Dr. Young - welcome back from your well deserved holiday. When you have a minute could you please answer Dmitriy's question?

Is this line a standard "one-size-fits-all" kind of line? I'm not truly understanding how it can be approved for human transplant use.. is there no issues of rejection? help us please

[This message was edited by mkowalski99 on Jul 17, 2002 at 09:44 PM.]

07-10-2002, 07:47 AM	#1
Jeremy Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Canada Posts: 588	Human Neurons Help Repair Spinal Cord Injuries Human Neurons Help Repair Spinal Cord Injuries Tue Jul 9,11:50 PM ET By Kathleen Doheny HealthScoutNews Reporter TUESDAY, July 9 (HealthScoutNews) -- Human neurons cloned from a human cell line have helped repair injured spinal cords in animals, a University of South Florida team reports. While the use of the neurons for human spinal cord injury is several years away, the researchers say the work is promising. "This is really the first step," says lead author Samuel Saporta, the associate director of the University of South Florida Center for Aging and Brain Repair. "We might be able to do some human trials in five or six years." The study appears in the current issue of the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine. About 200,000 Americans are living with spinal cord injury, and 11,000 more suffer a spinal cord injury each year, according to the Foundation for Spinal Cord Injury Prevention, Care & Cure. When the damage occurs, people can lose sensation and, depending on the injury site, control over routine bodily functions. Injuries usually crush thin extensions of the nerve cells called axons, which are surrounded by the vertebrae. Axons carry electrical signals along the spinal cord, sending sensory information and information to control movement. Scientists are still trying to figure out the best way to repair damaged spinal cord tissue. Saporta's team used hNT neurons, the same type that led to the first transplant to repair brain damage caused by strokes. These hNT neurons, or human neuroteratocarcinoma, are derived from a rare human cancer that includes rapidly dividing cells that can then turn into neurons -- but not back into cancer cells. Saporta's team evaluated 34 rats in all: one group that received transplants right after the injury; another group that received them two weeks later; and a control group that received no transplants. "Once transplanted, the cells appear to graft and take the place of the injured cells," Saporta says. All seven animals in the delayed group recovered activity in the neurons that control muscle movement, while only two of the nine in the immediate transplant group recovered. The untreated animals had no improvement. Delaying the transplant, the researchers speculate, leads to better recovery because the immune system might be less hostile. "There are basically two strategies in spinal cord repair," Saporta says. "One is to try to get the damaged axons that come from the higher center of the brain to reconnect past the area of injury and reconnect with the motor neurons that cause movement." "The strategy our research has taken is to form a bridge between the two injured areas of spinal cord, and perhaps we can have the spinal cord relearn with its existing connections how to cause movement. The bridge is the transplanted neurons. We demonstrated the transplanted cells actually engraft, or take up residence, and send out axons and electrically connect," he says. Other researchers have done the same research with human fetal cells, Saporta adds, but the neurons in the Florida research were derived from a human cell line. "This cell line is already approved by the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( news - web sites)] for transplant into stroke patients," he says. The good news for spinal-cord injured patients hoping for treatment? "We're closer," Saporta says. "The bad news is we don't know how close we are. There are a number of studies that need to be done." Another expert in the field calls the study "interesting," but also has some caveats. "The study involves adequate numbers of animals, and the results appear quite dramatic," says Dr. Michael Selzer, a professor of neurology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Selzer is a former consultant for Layton BioScience Inc., which holds the license for hNT neuron transplantation technology, and Saporta is also a consultant. The caveat, Selzer says, is the authors have not demonstrated adequately exactly how the transplanted cells are functioning. However, it's a promising cell line, he says: "The spinal cord often doesn't like to accept stem cells [immature, undifferentiated cells], and turn them into neurons. This cell line is already neurons." What To Do For information on spinal cord injury, see the Foundation for Spinal Cord Injury Prevention, Care & Cure or the National Institutes of Health. "If the wind could blow my troubles away. I'd stand in front of a hurricane."

07-10-2002, 08:27 AM	#2
DA Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: beaumont tx usa Posts: 32,390	"We might be able to do some human trials in five or six years." 5-6 years to start trials.... 5-6 years to complete trials and get fda approval. by 2014 we will have a cure...3 cheers for the good ole usa. what airlines fly to taiwan?

07-10-2002, 10:43 AM	#3
claude Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: 139 - Rettger Saint Marys Penna. USA Posts: 31	i'm with da oh thats nice, if we leave we will be outlaws in the usa if we stay we can have more bodily harm take place by the time it is "o.k." with the usa. i will gladly trade my citizenship for legs that i could use to stand up and flip off george bush, mr. brownback and the rest of the detractors. save me a seat DA

07-10-2002, 12:30 PM	#4
mk99 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: toronto, canada Posts: 3,494	My letter to Dr. Samuel Saporta I read with great excitement the hNT neurons and their effects on repairing (at least partially) rat spinal cords. I have had a spinal cord injury for 2 years now. (T4 complete) My excitement quickly turned into disillusioment when I read the part about human trials may start in 5 to 6 years. You have a cell line here that is already approved for human transplants. Clearly it's safe. I cannot, absolutely CANNOT comprehend WHY it would take 5 or 6 years to begin a phase 1 trial. I'm not sure that the Scientific Community understands the sense of urgency in the Spinal Cord Injury community. We live a truly living hell day in and day out. 10% of us die each year from complications or suicide. You cannot possibly comprehend the horrors we go through daily. Living your life in terror of bowel/bladder, virtually no sex life, constant pain, pressure sores, bladder infections, kidney failure, etc, etc. Can you please tell me why it will take this long to begin human trials? Will more funding help? I would gladly donate... please don't let me spend another decade living like this when a big piece of the puzzle could be well within your reach. One more thing. The newspaper article writes: "The caveat, Selzer says, is the authors have not demonstrated adequately exactly how the transplanted cells are functioning" The FDA requires proof of efficacy and safety NOT a play by play analysis of what each axon is doing & why. Please reconsider your timelines. As a fellow human being suffering incredible agony every second of my life, I beg you to move quickly to human trials. [This message was edited by mkowalski99 on Jul 10, 2002 at 03:45 PM.]

07-10-2002, 05:52 PM	#6
cboy Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Summerville- SC- Berkley Posts: 14	"This is really the first step" The first step was years ago.Does it take five freakn years to take another step? cboy LIFE IS A DARING ADVENTURE,ON NOTHING!

07-10-2002, 04:18 PM	#5
angel7 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Alvin,Texas Posts: 1,961	Mk.. I'm totally with you - great letter. Please give me an address for Dr. Saporta so I can also write my frustrations. Thanks, Deb

07-10-2002, 06:38 PM	#7
mk99 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: toronto, canada Posts: 3,494	Bruno & Dimitry: if this hNT neurons line is approved and determined to be safe, I wonder if you could incorporate this into the trials you intend to run in Russia? I don't know if someone "owns" the line and you have to license it... regardless you may want to look into it. Deb, the email address that I found is: ssaporta@hsc.usf.edu

07-11-2002, 03:43 PM	#8
angel7 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Alvin,Texas Posts: 1,961	Thanks mk99, Thanks for the e-mail address. I sent him a letter today. Deb

07-12-2002, 07:13 AM	#9
Dmitriy Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Posts: 92	mkowalski99, How are these hNT neurons different from the ones that other teams use? Do they come from adult stem cells? If so, the Russian team is going to use those. And from my own experience, mice experiments have nothing to do with humans--almost anything works in mice. Dmitriy

07-12-2002, 08:25 AM	#10
mk99 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: toronto, canada Posts: 3,494	Dr. Young - question Dr. Young - welcome back from your well deserved holiday. When you have a minute could you please answer Dmitriy's question? Is this line a standard "one-size-fits-all" kind of line? I'm not truly understanding how it can be approved for human transplant use.. is there no issues of rejection? help us please [This message was edited by mkowalski99 on Jul 17, 2002 at 09:44 PM.]

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