A man who was left paralysed by a severe spinal cord injury has reported that he is now able to stand and walk by himself thanks to a pioneering new stem cell treatment.

Chris Barr, 57, was left unable to feed, dress or walk by himself as a result of a traumatic surfing accident seven years ago, where he fell from the crest of a wave. Doctors told him at the time that the accident could leave him permanently paralysed. [1]

However, this month it’s been reported that Barr has started to not only regain basic mobility, but also the ability to stand and walk again after undergoing an experimental stem cell treatment.

As a participant along with 10 other patients in a clinical trial run by the Mayo Clinic, Barr underwent a procedure being hailed by many as the future of spinal cord injury treatment. [2]

The process involves extracting stem cell rich fat from the stomach through a biopsy, the isolation of the powerful mesenchymal stem cells from this fat tissue, their expansion into 100 million cells and their injection into the lumbar spine in the lower back. [3]

Because mesenchymal stem cells have the unique ability to transform into other cell types, they can be used to repair and replace cells that have become damaged through injury, such as those in Mr Barr’s spinal cord.

The success of the experimental treatment was measured against the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale, which is used as a reference for determining the severity levels of paralysis.

As a result of the trial, 70% of the participants moved up at least one level on the ASIA scale, while 30% reported no improvement or worsening in their conditions and no serious adverse effects were reported by all participants.

It’s estimated that around 50,000 people live with spinal cord injury in the UK, with 2,500 individuals sustaining spinal cord injuries every year. [4] [5]

More research is needed into the effectiveness of this form of treatment – stem cell therapies are still classed as ‘experimental’ in the U.S. – but what’s undeniable is that stem cells have managed to give Chris Barr his life and freedom back.

To find out more about what stem cells can do and how you can save them for your baby, download our free welcome pack below.

References

[1] Gooding, D. (2024, April 4). Paralysed surfer says stem cell treatment using belly fat helped him to walk again. Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/spinal-cord-injury-stem-cell-treatment-success-b2522933.html

[2] Lindquist, S. B. (2024, April 1). Study documents safety, improvements from stem cell therapy after spinal cord injury. Mayo Clinic News Network. https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/study-documents-safety-improvements-from-stem-cell-therapy-after-spinal-cord-injury/

[3] Bydon, M., Qu, W., Moinuddin, F.M. et al. Intrathecal delivery of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells in traumatic spinal cord injury: Phase I trial. Nat Commun 15, 2201 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-46259-y

[4] Rhind, J. (2023, November 28). How Many Spinal Cord Injuries Occur Each Year? JMW. https://www.jmw.co.uk/articles/spinal-injuries/how-many-spinal-cord-injuries-each-year

[5] Back Up Trust (n.d.). What is spinal cord injury? Back Up. Retrieved April 10, 2024, from https://www.backuptrust.org.uk/spinal-cord-injury/what-is-spinal-cord-injury

Therapies involving stem cells hold immense promise for treating a variety of medical conditions, particularly spinal cord injuries.

A future where damaged spinal cords can be regenerated through the medical application of stem cells, restoring mobility and function to those affected, isn’t as far away as it once seemed.

Especially since scientists at MIT and the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology have taken a significant step towards this future by developing a tiny device that could enhance the safety and effectiveness of stem cell treatments.

Understanding Cell Therapy

Stem cell therapy involves reprogramming the stem cells taken from a patient’s skin or blood cells to create induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).

These iPSCs are then coaxed into becoming progenitor cells, specialised to differentiate into spinal cord cells.

Once these progenitor cells are transplanted back into the patient, they can regenerate part of the injured spinal cord, offering hope for recovery.

However, undifferentiated iPSCs pose a risk of forming tumours, limiting the therapy’s safety and efficacy.

Introducing the Microfluidic Cell Sorter

To address this challenge, researchers have developed what’s known as a microfluidic cell sorter.

Effectively a kind of sieve, this device is capable of removing undifferentiated cells from a batch without harming fully-formed progenitor cells.

It can sort over 3 million cells per minute and can be scaled up by chaining multiple devices together, potentially sorting more than 500 million cells per minute.

Moreover, the plastic chip housing the sorter can be mass-produced at low cost, making widespread implementation feasible.

How It Works

The sorter operates based on the size difference between residual, undifferentiated pluripotent stem cells and progenitor cells.

Pluripotent stem cells tend to be larger due to the presence of numerous active genes in their nuclei.

As cells pass through microfluidic channels at high speeds, centrifugal forces focus them at specific points, enabling their separation based on size.

By running the sorter twice at different speeds, researchers effectively remove larger cells that are associated with a higher tumour risk.

Promising Results and Future Directions

While the sorter doesn’t eliminate 100% of undifferentiated cells, it significantly reduces the risk, enhancing the safety of cell therapy treatments.

Further studies are underway to validate these findings in larger-scale experiments and animal models. If successful, purified cells could offer improved efficacy and safety in vivo, paving the way for broader applications of this technique.

The development of this microfluidic cell sorter represents a significant advancement in the field of stem cell therapy.

By enhancing safety and effectiveness, it brings us closer to realising the full potential of regenerative medicine for conditions like spinal cord injuries.

With ongoing research and technological innovations, the future holds promising possibilities for improving healthcare outcomes through cell-based therapies.

To find out more about how you could give your baby access to the future of medicine by banking their stem cell rich umbilical cord and placenta, download your FREE Parents Guide to Cord Blood Banking below.

Sources

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “Scientists develop a low-cost device to make cell therapy safer.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 7 February 2024. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240207195153.htm>.

Tan Dai Nguyen, et al., Label-Free and High-Throughput Removal of Residual Undifferentiated Cells From iPSC-Derived Spinal Cord Progenitor Cells, Stem Cells Translational Medicine, 2024.

Zewe, A. (2024, February 7). Scientists develop a low-cost device to make cell therapy safer. MIT News. Retrieved February 26, 2024, from https://news.mit.edu/2024/scientists-develop-low-cost-device-safer-cell-therapy-0207