Stem Cell Transplant Patients Show Long Term Improvement

An injection of a patient's own stem cells seems to help heal spinal cord injury in the long run, new research suggests. Thirty percent of stem cell therapy patients showed significant functional or other improvements after 6 months.
This study, following after an initial report of results on six patients, is the first attempt at direct spinal injection of a patient's own stem cells for the treatment of spinal cord injury in humans. The latest data was reported in the May 2012 issue of the journal Neurosurgery.
The stem cell transplantation was performed in 10 patients with permanent movement problems or paralysis after spinal cord injury. The researchers transplanted stem cells cultured from each patient's own bone marrow, grew them in the lab into spinal cord cells, and injected them into the patient's back.
The researchers monitored the patients for improvement in their ability to move their arms and hands and to perform key activities of daily living. Imaging scans and tests of muscle activity were performed as well....
 The report shows not only the promise of stem cell treatments, but their safety. None of the ten patients had any permanent complications related to the transplantation. This helps to alleviate concerns that stem cell injection could lead to later problems like the development of tumors or calcifications.

Read More: Live Science  http://www.livescience.com/20384-stem-cell-transplant-patients-show-long-term-improvement.html