Through an unprecedented recent development, Israeli engineers have given new hope to people who could not walk for a long time due to paralysis when they first performed 3D transplants of human spinal cord tissue. The spinal cord in the human body carries nerve signals from the brain to the body and vice versa and these nerve signals are responsible for our ability to feel sensations and move our bodies. Paralysis can occur as a result of damage to the spinal cord or nerves present at the end of the canal. In addition to causing permanent changes in sensation, strength and other body functions, certain spinal cord injuries can also lead to long-term paralysis that is currently incurable.
According to The Jerusalem Post, scientists and experts around the world are trying to find a cure for this problem, but their efforts have not yet yielded a concrete solution. However, in the latest development, Israeli engineers found that mimicking embryonic development by implementing a specific spinal cord motor neuron differentiation protocol in a 3D dynamic environment can help heal the injured site. The new method also reduced the risk of rejection, unlike before, when the body’s immune response to the transplanted cells resulted in their rejection.
The study, the results of which were published in the journal Advanced Science, was conducted by researchers from the Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology and the Schmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research at Tel Aviv University.
In the new procedure developed by the research team, a small fatty tissue biopsy will be taken from the patient, which will then be separated into cells and extracellular biomaterial. Next, the team will then reprogram the cells to make patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). The biomaterial is then turned into an individual hydrogel through a process in which iPSC cells are encapsulated, allowing them to differentiate into a 3D backbone network.
According to Professor Tal Dvir, who led the research team, the implant was used for the first time in mice in laboratory tests and was successful. Following this, the researchers are now aiming to conduct clinical trials on humans in the next few years and are also in contact with the FDA regarding the program.
As the latest study focuses on treating patients with spinal cord injuries, researchers now hope that the same technology may also help treat other types of diseases and injuries, such as myocardial infarction, Parkinson’s and brain trauma.
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