Orange County Register

UCI neurobiologist Hans Keirstead. Image courtesy of UCI.

A human embryonic stem cell treatment developed at UC Irvine has been used to restore the walking ability of test rests who experienced neck spinal cord injuries, the university says. The advance, published in the journal Stem Cells, could lead the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to allow the treatment to be tested on humans who have cervical as well as thoracic spinal cord injuries. The treatment is currently only approved for thoracic research.

The testing is based on research by Hans Keirstead, a UCI neurobiologist who has been trying for years to find a way to use human embryonic stem cells to restore movement in people who have suffered such injuries. The Geron Corp. expanded on his work, testing the treatment in rats.

UCI said in a statement today that, “A week after test rats with 100 percent walking ability suffered neck spinal cord injuries, some received the stem cell treatment. The walking ability of those that didn’t (get the treatment) degraded to 38 percent. Treated rats’ ability, however, was restored to 97 percent.

“UCI’s therapy utilizes human embryonic stem cells destined to become spinal cord cells called oligodendrocytes. These are the building blocks of myelin, the biological insulation for nerve fibers that’s critical to proper functioning of the central nervous system. When myelin is stripped away through injury or disease, paralysis can occur.

“Lead author and doctoral student Jason Sharp, Keirstead and colleagues discovered that the stem cells not only rebuilt myelin but prevented tissue death and triggered nerve fiber regrowth. They also suppressed the immune response, causing an increase in anti-inflammatory molecules.”

Keirstead has always been cautious in talking about stem cells, saying that it likely to take years to create useful treatments, if it is possible at all. But he was upbeat in the UCI statement, saying, “People with cervical damage often have lost or impaired limb movement and bowel, bladder or sexual function, and currently there’s no effective treatment. It’s a challenging existence. What our therapy did to injured rodents is phenomenal. If we see even a fraction of that benefit in humans, it will be nothing short of a home run.”

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