Researchers from Israel for the first time in the world managed to develop a unique implant designed to treat spinal cord damage, reports Jerusalem Post.
A team of scientists from the center of regenerative biotechnology Sagol at Tel Aviv University created 3D tissues of the spinal cord of a person and implanted them into a laboratory model with a long chronic paralysis. So, for the design of the spinal cord, the researchers used human cells and implanted them in animals. The result showed that 80 percent of tests demonstrated the restoration of the ability to walk. Such design imitates the development of spinal cord in human embryos.
“Our technology is based on a patient a small biopsy of the fatty tissue of the abdomen in the patient. After separating the cells from the extracellular matrix, using genetic engineering, we reprogrammed the cells, returning them to a state resembling embryonic stem cells. Cells are converted into three-dimensional implants of neural networks containing Motor neurons, “explained the head of the study, Professor Tala Dvir.
According to him, people who have gained injuries at a very early age are doomed to sit in a wheelchair for the rest of life and face social, financial and medical costs associated with paralysis. He stated that the purpose of scientists is to create individual spinal cord implants for each paralyzed person, allowing regenerating damaged tissues without renewal risk.
Now specialists are preparing for the next stage of the study: clinical trials in humans. They hope that for several years, artificial fabrics will be implanted by paralyzed people, which will allow them to get up again and walk.