Implants of Embryonic Tissue for Spinal Cord Injury

A small study has demonstrated that implanting human embryonic tissue in people with spinal cord injuries is both feasible and safe. The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Florida (UF, Gainsville, FL, USA). Early findings were reported in two articles in the September 2001 issue of the Journal of Neurotrauma.

Nine surgeries were performed on eight patients at the UF medical center in July 1997 and February 2000. A neurosurgeon transplanted about a teaspoonful of tissue into the spinal cord of the patients, who needed an operation to drain and close fluid-filled cavities that had developed after their initial injuries. This condition, called syringomyelia, can cause unbearable pain and progressive loss of sensation and movement. An analysis of the initial two patients treated with the transplanted tissue showed that they had experienced no ill effects.

The researchers hoped that the transplanted tissue would grow enough to keep the cavities filled and prevent further deterioration. They have found some signs but no conclusive proof that the tissue did plug the cavities. The first patient experienced a decrease in the excessive firing of the nerve cells in his lower spinal cord, thought to be a source of spasticity in patients with spinal cord injuries. The patient also reported a sensation of increasing spasms in his leg, which the researchers thought might have been due to an overall increase in leg sensations.

"All we can tell for certain from magnetic resonance (MR) images is that the cysts were indeed collapsed where we placed the tissue,” said Dr. Edward D. Wirth, a UF professor of neuroscience and lead author of one article. "The MRI images do not enable us to distinguish between host tissue and transplant tissue, so we can't say for certain that the transplant survived.”




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