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Stem Cell Strategy to Spinal Cord Injuries: The newest Frontier

Knee Stem Cells - Spinal cord injuries are injuries that occur to any level of the spinal cord. Although the hard bones from the spinal column protect the soft tissues with the spinal cord, vertebrae can nevertheless be broken or dislocated in a number of ways and cause traumatic trouble for the spinal cord. Vertebrae injuries vary inside their severity, but almost inevitably lead to various forms of compromised functionality as the spinal cord is in effect the key pathway for information traveling around the human body. Just what body functions are impaired through the injury will depend on the location of the spine that's been damaged and the extent to which the spine may be affected. Although serious impacts including falls and motor vehicle accidents account for many vertebrae injuries, tumors growing close to the column can also damage sensitive nerve tissue and possess the same effects.

Knee Stem Cell Treatment - For decades scientists have been working to try and find a way to remedy the many ailments that spinal cord injuries can bring, but with limited success. However, lately a pioneering new technologies have emerged that is helping lots of people around the world regain part, if not completely, of their previously lost mobility. That treatment solutions are the use of stem cells.

What exactly are Stem Cells and Stem Cell Treatments?

Knee Stem Cells - Stem cells are located in all multi cellular organisms and so are characterized by their ability to tell apart into a diverse array of specialized cells when they divide and renew themselves. They may be remarkable for their capability to regenerate themselves into any human cell. Their use in the treatment of various diseases and types of conditions, from Leukemia to Multiple Sclerosis, is now becoming more common. Depending on the condition, stem cells could be transplanted into the patient to assist renew and regenerate previously damaged cells, giving patients renewed hope when, before, no reliable treatment existed.

This principle is now being applied to the management of spinal cord injuries using stem cells, and in instances where the patient has not yet experienced a complete spinal-cord injury, i.e. a whole severing of the spinal-cord leading to a loss of function beneath the 'neurological' level. There has been good success in helping patients recover greater sensory and physiological ability.

Spinal-cord Injury: How Stem Cell Treatment Works

When there is trauma to the vertebrae, myelopathy (damage to the fibres that carry messages back and forth from the brain) has occurred. These 'myelinated fibre tracts' would be the focus of stem cell treatment, and are the nerve cells the treatment helps to regenerate. The procedure usually follows three phases in most cases requires no longer than a period of around five weeks in medical treatment for monitoring:

Phase one necessitates the harvesting of stem cells. The cells are extracted from a fetus's umbilical cord. They are then put through an activity whereby they are isolated and purified before they are finally cultured being suitable for clinical use.

Phase two will be the transplantation of the stem cells. This is achieved in one of 3 ways:

1) Lumbar puncture - a procedure used where stem cells may be injected directly into the backbone.

2) Intravenous injection- stem cells are injected in to the patient's vein.

3) Tissue injection - direct injection into target tissues.

Phase three necessitates the monitoring of the patient to ensure there are no adverse side effects. The only side effects reported to date were caused by the lumbar puncture, rather than the stem cell treatment itself, with simply 15% of patients reporting mild headaches. In the period under medical supervision, patients undergo various physiotherapy activities along with other treatments as necessary.

Stem Cell Research and Treatment in China

China is quickly becoming a world leader in stem cell research, and is now a major centre for that stem cell treating many diseases and scenarios. The Chinese government has poured many millions of dollars into research on regenerative medicine, understanding that investment has really borne fruit within the last few years. As a result of this expanded investment, Chinese contributions to scientific journals on regenerative medicine topics leapt from 37 in 2000 to 1,116 in 2008, exceeded only from the contributions of experts in america, Germany, Japan and the UK.

The government in addition has aggressively recruited high-caliber scientists trained abroad in search of its ambition to turn into a world leader within the field. Indeed, the McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health commented that, "the government's policy of attracting highly educated Chinese nationals back to China has contributed significantly for the country's success within the field." The authors were "amazed that almost all the top Chinese researchers within the regenerative medicine field have been educated in the US and also the UK and gained extensive practical knowledge there in cutting edge research."

Although in the past treatment in China could have been considered risky due to lax health and safety laws, recent years have seen an increase in legislation protecting the patient, and improving the functionality of clinics. Since 2009, evidence of safety and efficacy through clinical trials is required by China's Secretary of state for Health for all stem cell and gene therapies, ensuring that Chinese clinics meet international standards in their qualifications and methodology. As of January 2010, about 1,500 patients had received botox cosmetic injections for spinal cord injury at one Beijing clinic alone, including roughly 1,000 foreigners.

In addition to this, China has long held a spot at the forefront of stem cell research to deal with all manner of conditions. A few of China's notable contributions to stem cell research are:

By transferring the nucleus of the human skin cell to the immature ovum cell of the rabbit, researchers from your Shanghai hospital successfully produced embryonic human cells.
China thus far has created at least 25 human embryonic stem cell lines (some estimate over 70 stem cell lines), four that are of a specialized type that at that time only two other groups worldwide had were able to create.
Harboured several human tissue types, created artificially, including circulation system, tendon, bone, cartilage, skin, cornea and muscle fibre.
Furthermore, Chinese researchers are currently involved with a myriad of projects to help aid patients through regenerative medicine and stem cell therapy. Below are several projects underway within Chinese institutions:

ChinaSCINet, a consortium of 27 medical facilities, are starting phase 2 many studies to test the efficacy and safety of using cord blood stem cells and oral lithium to deal with about 40 patients with vertebrae injuries.
Clinical trials are underway around the use of stem cell therapies to deal with patients of strokes, artery obstruction, and liver and neural diseases.
Research is underway on the potential use of stem cells to treat heart, liver and blood diseases, eye cataracts, and to combat aging.
Successes from the Treatment of Spinal-cord Injuries in China

Many individuals of all ages and with varying degrees of injury have received stem cell treatment in China throughout the last few years. It is important to understand that not every patient will react as well as others, and that the age of the sufferer and the severity of the damage greatly affect the likelihood of recovery. However, there have been many success stories from both Chinese citizens and foreigners.

Before her treatment began in January 2006, Ms. Pai, 38, from Shenyang couldn't move her body underneath the injury site, and was unable to control her bowel motions. Within 8 months from the treatment she regained movement both in her legs, could bend her knees (even though the toes of one foot remained as paralyzed) and was even capable of walk with crutches.

Razvan Iordache, a Romanian citizen aged 30, travelled to China for several bouts of stem cell treatment following any sort of accident while diving into a river that left him paralyzed from the neck down. Following his treatments, Razan reported in 2008 that does not only could he now use his arms almost normally, and may feel pain in many of his fingers, he could "even feel warm and cold" sensations. He continued to add the following: "Now I'm able to control my urine for 10 mins and the sensation for both urine and stool is way better. Generally, my system is more powerful than before."

Donald Maricelli, a 54 years old US citizen, a break down spinal cord injury following a fall in 2002. He underwent a surgical procedure to correct his lack of sensation in his lower body, however there were complications and Donald was left in a worse state than before. Before arriving for treatment in China, he was still being unable to walk unaided. Pursuing the treatment, which commenced in November 2007, Donald has made significant improvements. He regained sensation throughout the majority of his abdomen, as well as the sensation in his legs also improved. Particularly important, the sensation on the bottom of his feet came back, helping him simply to walk without tripping. Most important to Donald was he regained control and strength as part of his left leg, allowing him simply to walk significant distances and stand for prolonged periods of time.

There are numerous more success stories from patients who've received this pioneering treatment to aid correct varying levels of spinal cord injury. However, it will always be important to remember that not all patients recover exactly the same functions in the same time frame. A lot of hard work switches into the post treatment rehabilitation, and it takes great drive, determination and ambition to allow the body to get back to more regular functionality. However, the work being done by scientists and clinics in China has shown time and again that stem cells hold a critical key to the future of helping individuals with spinal cord injuries recover their lost functions. On a monthly basis, more and more people are visiting various cities across the country that offer different packages of treatment according to precisely what injury has been inflicted. The level of service has improved greatly recently, and continues to improve each month, meaning that those unfortunate enough to possess suffered spinal cord injuries need no longer feel theirs is really a lost cause. There is a very real chance the standard of living of any patient may be improved with little pain, little hospital time, and a little motivation. The present evidence shows that stem cell therapy for spinal-cord injuries is the answer.