A systematic survey of the scientific literature shows that stem cell therapy can have a statistically significant impact on animal models of spinal cord injury, and points the way for future studies.
Spinal cord injuries are mostly caused by trauma, often incurred in road traffic or sporting incidents, often with devastating and irreversible consequences, and unfortunately having a relatively high prevalence (250,000 patients in the USA; 80% of cases are male). High-profile campaigners like the late actor Christopher Reeve, himself a victim of sports-related spinal cord injury, have placed high hopes in stem cell transplantation. But how likely is it to work?
This question is addressed in a paper published 17th December in the open access journal PLOS Biology by Ana Antonic, David Howells and colleagues from the Florey Institute and the University of Melbourne, Australia, and Malcolm MacLeod and colleagues from the University of Edinburgh, UK.
Stem cell therapy aims to use special regenerative cells (stem cells) to repopulate areas of damage that result from spinal cord injuries, with the hope of improving the ability to move (“motor outcomes”) and to feel (“sensory outcomes”) beyond the site of the injury. Many studies have been performed that involve animal models of spinal cord injury (mostly rats and mice), but these are limited in scale by financial, practical and ethical considerations. These limitations hamper each individual study’s statistical power to detect the true effects of the stem cell implantation.
I do wonder what ethics the experiments adhere to? and to what degree it is affecting outcomes..
Many studies have been performed that involve animal models of spinal cord injury (mostly rats and mice), but these are limited in scale by financial, practical and ethical considerations. These limitations hamper each individual study’s statistical power to detect the true effects of the stem cell implantation.
I feel that technology, and I don't claim by any means to be educated in this field, is at the door to a whole new means of treating many conditions. The thing is we have just started to test these modalities in humans legitimately. There have been so many ridiculous claims made on the net and media by fugasi groups looking to cash in, but we can't let this type of nonsense dilute legitimate scientific work going on right now. I think for what its worth, treatments will come soon, these will be tweaked and become more effective, of course advancements will be helped or hindered by some politics and greed and huge egos but they will ultimately prevail in their efficacy. I always think of certain people in history who were jailed for saying the earth revolved around the sun, or were thought to be lunatics because they didn't believe the earth was flat. Stemcells have had to endure a lot of setbacks here in the states because of the negative spin and regulations set on them by President Bushwacker and other groups who felt it was morally wrong to use an embryo to harvest stem cells . Science has prevailed over this matter by finding other sources to obtain the cells for research, in a relatively short time. I think it is soooo important for the SCI community to push for this research to continue just as the gay community pushed for treatments for AIDES back in the 80s and they got results!!! If anyone has suggestions on how or what to do to make this happen please let me know. Then again Im just a retired Smoke Eater from NYC, but thats what I believe and Im stickin too it!!!
tbone57, that was very well said! I agree completely with everything you said. Stem cell research is happening all around the world and is the leading research for spinal cord injuries so I do think that something will come out of it. The setback are unfortunate and it happens everywhere but like you said, we have to push for this kinda research to continue!
Too many people still associate stem cells with unborn fetuses and embryos.That's will be a tough one to overcome.Insert politics and it gets even tougher.The congress finally passed a budget after 4 years,they'll never get this one.
What I used to be able to do all night now takes me all night to do.
Too many people still associate stem cells with unborn fetuses and embryos.That's will be a tough one to overcome.Insert politics and it gets even tougher.The congress finally passed a budget after 4 years,they'll never get this one.
You are right bill..this is the case isnt it. There has been too much high profile publicity around this....
tbone57...your points are excellent and valid.....and maybe we are too passive? Our community would do well to make more noise about funding and promoting/supporting research....
Too many people still associate stem cells with unborn fetuses and embryos.That's will be a tough one to overcome.Insert politics and it gets even tougher.The congress finally passed a budget after 4 years,they'll never get this one.
You are right bill..this is the case isnt it. There has been too much high profile publicity around this....
tbone57...your points are excellent and valid.....and maybe we are too passive? Our community would do well to make more noise about funding and promoting/supporting research....
I think we are too passive,but with reason. Physical limitations are a big hurdle to overcome, and we need need help, its hard to figure out what to do and where the noise should be directed. I watched a documentary on netflix about the AIDES crises in the 80s and it was just amazing how the gay community came together and they really did get results. Not as easy for us and paralysis isn't something you can catch. So frustrating at times Lαrα.
You are right bill..this is the case isnt it. There has been too much high profile publicity around this....
tbone57...your points are excellent and valid.....and maybe we are too passive? Our community would do well to make more noise about funding and promoting/supporting research....
I think we are too passive,but with reason. Physical limitations are a big hurdle to overcome, and we need need help, its hard to figure out what to do and where the noise should be directed. I watched a documentary on netflix about the AIDES crises in the 80s and it was just amazing how the gay community came together and they really did get results. Not as easy for us and paralysis isn't something you can catch. So frustrating at times Lαrα.
Absolutely tbone57....i think you are so right here that physical limitations prevent this, for some just managing their SCI is enough to deal with......I think if family members, carers..professionals became involved then there would be a fighting chance to be heard.
The problem with this is that no one will ever be more intrinsically motivated than the individual with SCI....and their family.....and in many cases they have enough to deal with.
It would be interesting to see how many petitions have been served to governments?
While in theory cell treatment is shown to have the potential to treat SCI no trial or study to this date has proven any shred of efficacy in treating SCI. I do think we have just surpassed the safety barrier which may allow deeper experimentation on human candidates. As for all internet claims by a doctor in another SCI forum of SCI ASIA A candidates walking, i take this as both bogus and very unprofessional. Over a year has passed and this claim has not been followed up nor again mentioned. I will only believe such statements if issued through proper protocol and endorsed/verified by respectable authoritative bodies of governance such as the FDA and the Swiss medical authorities. One must keep in mind that many people are desperate for a cure and can be easily scammed into paying excessive amounts of money on bogus treatments.
While in theory cell treatment is shown to have the potential to treat SCI no trial or study to this date has proven any shred of efficacy in treating SCI. I do think we have just surpassed the safety barrier which may allow deeper experimentation on human candidates. As for all internet claims by a doctor in another SCI forum of SCI ASIA A candidates walking, i take this as both bogus and very unprofessional. Over a year has passed and this claim has not been followed up nor again mentioned. I will only believe such statements if issued through proper protocol and endorsed/verified by respectable authoritative bodies of governance such as the FDA and the Swiss medical authorities. One must keep in mind that many people are desperate for a cure and can be easily scammed into paying excessive amounts of money on bogus treatments.
This is a fair comment delboy and i know you talk from a great deal of experience on this subject also. I think an air of reservation is healthy in this case I think there is a high probability as you say, that people desperately may part with large sums of money under the pretense of false hope.
There needs to be hope, always and belief but at this point the reality is that there isnt anything to cure a Spinal Cord Injury.....
Good point delboy! There is definitely potential for treating spinal cord injuries with stem cells in the future but as you've mentioned, the claims that they've gotten an ASIA A candidate to walk again seems unrealistic.